Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Edenton, North Carolina, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Northeastern Regional Airport (EDE), Edenton, North Carolina, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,501 miles (or 2,416 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 relatively short distance between Ellsworth Air Force Base and Northeastern Regional Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• The 740th AC&W Squadron began operations in 1955 with AN/MPS-7 search radar, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept and warning station.
• To provide air defense of the base, the United States Army established the Ellsworth AFB Defense Area in 1957 and constructed Nike-Ajax Surface-to-air missile sites for air defense.
• The base experienced one of its worst peacetime tragedies in March 1953 when an RB-36 and its entire crew of 23 crashed in Newfoundland while returning from a routine exercise in Europe.
• The airfield was again temporarily shut down from September 1946 – March 1947 and underwent a major construction program to upgrade the temporary wartime facilities to that of a permanent base.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.

Facts about Northeastern Regional Airport (EDE):

• Northeastern Regional Airport (EDE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Following World War II, the installation was redesignated as Naval Auxiliary Air Station Edenton and was operationally administered by Marine Air Base Squadron 14, hosting Marine Corps fighter squadrons flying the F9F-2 Panther and attack squadrons flying the AD-4B and AD-5 Skyraider during the Korean War and early years of the Cold War.
• The furthest airport from Northeastern Regional Airport (EDE) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,761 miles (18,927 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Because of Northeastern Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 20 feet, planes can take off or land at Northeastern Regional 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 Northeastern Regional Airport (EDE) is Elizabeth City Regional Airport (ECG), which is located 27 miles (44 kilometers) NE of EDE.
• The airport was originally constructed during World War II by the United States Navy as Marine Corps Air Station Edenton.