Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Friedrichshafen, Bodensee, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Friedrichshafen Airport (FDH), Friedrichshafen, Bodensee, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,890 miles (or 7,869 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 Friedrichshafen 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 Friedrichshafen 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):

• On 15 July 1945, the 225th AAFBU was inactivated and Rapid City AAB was placed on standby status as the Army Air Forces began to demobilize.
• Internationally, the destruction of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 symbolized the imminent demise of the Soviet Union over the next several months.
• 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.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• 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 installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• The mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.

Facts about Friedrichshafen Airport (FDH):

• Friedrichshafen Airport has its own small railway station named Friedrichshafen Flughafen directly across from the terminal building.
• The closest airport to Friedrichshafen Airport (FDH) is St. Gallen–Altenrhein Airport (ACH), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) S of FDH.
• This airport has had a long history.
• The furthest airport from Friedrichshafen Airport (FDH) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Friedrichshafen Airport (meaning Friedrichshafen Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,045 miles (19,384 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Right next to the terminal there is a museum dedicated to the former German aircraft manufacturer Dornier Flugzeugwerke.
• Friedrichshafen Airport is a minor international airport 1.9 miles north of Friedrichshafen, Germany.
• In addition to being known as "Friedrichshafen Airport", another name for FDH is "Flughafen Friedrichshafen".
• Friedrichshafen Airport (FDH) currently has only 1 runway.