Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Dubai, United Arab Emirates:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Dubai International Airport (DXB), Dubai, United Arab Emirates would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,451 miles (or 11,992 kilometers).

A Great Circle is the shortest distance between 2 points on a sphere. Because most world maps are flat (but the Earth is round), the route of the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth will often appear curved when viewed on a flat map, especially for long distances. If you were to simply draw a straight line on a flat map and measure a very long distance, it would likely be much further than if you were to lay a string between those two points on a globe. Because of the large distance between Ellsworth Air Force Base and Dubai International Airport, the route shown on this map most likely appears curved because of this reason.

Try it at home! Get a globe and tightly lay a string between Ellsworth Air Force Base and Dubai International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• The furthest airport from Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,579 miles (17,026 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• The closest airport to Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA) is Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) S of RCA.
• After the Army closed their facilities, the military housing at the Nike Integrated Fire Control sites was transferred to control of Ellsworth, and was used as Air Force military family housing until about 1990.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• In March 1994, Ellsworth welcomed the 34th Bomb Squadron, a geographically separated unit that was awaiting airfield upgrades before it could return to its parent organization, the 366th Wing, at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.

Facts about Dubai International Airport (DXB):

• Because of Dubai International Airport's relatively low elevation of 62 feet, planes can take off or land at Dubai International Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
• The closest airport to Dubai International Airport (DXB) is Sharjah International Airport (SHJ), which is located only 11 miles (17 kilometers) ENE of DXB.
• The furthest airport from Dubai International Airport (DXB) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is located 11,774 miles (18,948 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.
• Dubai International Airport (DXB) has 2 runways.
• Dubai International Airport handled 66,431,533 passengers last year.
• On 29 October 2010, the airport marked its 50th anniversary.
• In addition to being known as "Dubai International Airport", another name for DXB is "مطار دبي الدولي".
• Dubai's government has announced the construction of a new airport in Jebel Ali, named Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International Airport.
• Expansion continued in the early 1970s including ILS Category II equipment, lengthening existing runway to 12,500 ft, installation of a non-directional beacon, diesel generators, taxiways, etc.
• Construction of Terminal 3 began in 2004 as the next stage of phase 2 of the development, with an estimated cost of around $4.55 billion.
• The Cargo Mega Terminal, which will have the capacity to handle 3 million tonnes of cargo a year, is a major development.