Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Eilat, Israel:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Eilat Airport (ETH), Eilat, Israel would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,697 miles (or 10,777 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 Eilat 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 Eilat 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 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• On 1 June 1992, as part of the first major reorganization since the creation of USAF, the Air Force inactivated Strategic Air Command and assigned Ellsworth's organizations ) to the newly activated Air Combat Command.
• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• The mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.
• 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 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.

Facts about Eilat Airport (ETH):

• Because of Eilat Airport's relatively low elevation of 42 feet, planes can take off or land at Eilat 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.
• Eilat Airport was established in 1949 by the Israel Air Force, following the 1948 Israeli War of Independence.
• Although the airport is capable of handling Boeing 767 aircraft, for large numbers of these aircraft, significant investment would be needed.
• The furthest airport from Eilat Airport (ETH) is Rurutu Airport (RUR), which is located 11,807 miles (19,002 kilometers) away in Rurutu, French Polynesia.
• The closest airport to Eilat Airport (ETH) is King Hussein International Airport (AQJ), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) NE of ETH.
• In the 1994 Peace Agreement between Israel and Jordan it was decided that operations were supposed to be transferred from Eilat Airport to Aqaba Airport.
• Eilat Airport (ETH) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Eilat Airport", other names for ETH include "J. Hozman Airport" and "שְׂדֵה הַתְּעוּפָה אֵילַת".