Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Farnborough, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Farnborough Airport (FAB), Farnborough, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,380 miles (or 7,050 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 Farnborough 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 Farnborough 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):

• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• 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.
• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
• On 1 June 1971, SAC deactivated the 821st Strategic Aerospace Division and by October of that year, an upgraded LGM-30F Minuteman II also replaced the Minuteman I missiles.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.

Facts about Farnborough Airport (FAB):

• After TAG took control of the airport from the MOD, it invested in a series of new infrastructure projects, including a new radar unit and a resurfaced runway.
• The closest airport to Farnborough Airport (FAB) is Blackbushe Airport (BBS), which is located only 5 miles (7 kilometers) NW of FAB.
• Since the peak in 2007, the number of landings and take-offs covered by the planning consent has fallen by 14%.
• Because of Farnborough Airport's relatively low elevation of 238 feet, planes can take off or land at Farnborough 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.
• Farnborough Airport sees the bulk of its traffic from conventional business jets, such as the Cessna Citation, the Gulfstream, the Dassault Falcon, the Learjet, the Bombardier Challenger, the Bombardier Global 5000, the Bombardier Global XRS and the BAe 125.
• Farnborough Airport (FAB) currently has only 1 runway.
• The first powered flight in Britain was at Farnborough on 5 October 1908, when Samuel Cody took off in his British Army Aeroplane No 1.
• In addition to being known as "Farnborough Airport", another name for FAB is "TAG London Farnborough Airport".
• The furthest airport from Farnborough Airport (FAB) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,884 miles (19,125 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.