Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Greven, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Münster Osnabrück International Airport (FMO), Greven, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,616 miles (or 7,429 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 Münster Osnabrück 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 Münster Osnabrück 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):

• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• 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.
• The 12th Air Division moved to Ellsworth on 15 July 1988.
• In March 1944, heavy bomber operational training ended and the 225th Army Air Force Base Unit began training of replacement personnel for deployed heavy bombardment units in the overseas combat theaters.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.

Facts about Münster Osnabrück International Airport (FMO):

• On 21 December 1966 the cities of Münster, Osnabrück, and Greven as well as the districts of Münster and Tecklenburg founded the Münster/Osnabrück Airport GmbH.
• On 24 September 1968 the state of North Rhine-Westphalia received permission to begin construction.
• The furthest airport from Münster Osnabrück International Airport (FMO) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,831 miles (19,040 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The cities of Münster and Greven and the Steinfurt district plan to donate an area of around 500 acres to the airport, for airport-related commercial activities.
• The closest airport to Münster Osnabrück International Airport (FMO) is Rheine-Bentlage Air Base (ZPQ), which is located only 17 miles (27 kilometers) NW of FMO.
• In addition to being known as "Münster Osnabrück International Airport", another name for FMO is "Flughafen Münster/Osnabrück".
• Because of Münster Osnabrück International Airport's relatively low elevation of 157 feet, planes can take off or land at Münster Osnabrück 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.
• Münster Osnabrück International Airport (FMO) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airport has roughly 7500 parking spaces spread over multiple car parks, two of which are multi-storey.