Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE), El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,786 miles (or 10,920 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 Comandante Armando Tola 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 Comandante Armando Tola 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):

• After the Army closed their facilities, the military housing at the Nike Integrated Fire Control sites was transferred to control of Ellsworth, and was used as Air Force military family housing until about 1990.
• The Titan I's life span was short in western South Dakota.
• Military organizations periodically upgrade manpower and machines from time to time to meet new national security requirements and Ellsworth Air Force Base's organizations were no exception.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".

Facts about Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE):

• Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE) is Lago Argentino Airport (ING), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) WSW of FTE.
• The furthest airport from Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE) is Baikal International Airport (UUD), which is nearly antipodal to Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (meaning Comandante Armando Tola International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Baikal International Airport), and is located 12,329 miles (19,842 kilometers) away in Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia, Russia.
• In addition to being known as "Comandante Armando Tola International Airport", other names for FTE include "Aeropuerto Internacional de El Calafate – Comandante Armando Tola" and "SAWC".
• Because of Comandante Armando Tola International Airport's relatively low elevation of 669 feet, planes can take off or land at Comandante Armando Tola 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.