Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Golfito, Costa Rica:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from RCA to GLF:
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- About this route
- RCA Airport Information
- GLF Airport Information
- Facts about RCA
- Facts about GLF
- Map of Nearest Airports to RCA
- List of Nearest Airports to RCA
- Map of Furthest Airports from RCA
- List of Furthest Airports from RCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to GLF
- List of Nearest Airports to GLF
- Map of Furthest Airports from GLF
- List of Furthest Airports from GLF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Golfito Airport (GLF), Golfito, Costa Rica would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,728 miles (or 4,390 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 Golfito 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 Golfito Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RCA / KRCA |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 44°8'47"N by 103°4'28"W |
View all routes: | Routes from RCA |
More Information: | RCA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GLF / MRGF |
Airport Name: | Golfito Airport |
Location: | Golfito, Costa Rica |
GPS Coordinates: | 8°39'0"N by 83°10'58"W |
Operator/Owner: | n/a |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 49 feet (15 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from GLF |
More Information: | GLF Maps & Info |
Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):
- The airfield was again temporarily shut down from September 1946 – March 1947 and underwent a major construction program to upgrade the temporary wartime facilities to that of a permanent base.
- The mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.
- An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
- In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
- In October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.
- 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.
Facts about Golfito Airport (GLF):
- Golfito Airport (GLF) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Golfito Airport's relatively low elevation of 49 feet, planes can take off or land at Golfito 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.
- The furthest airport from Golfito Airport (GLF) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is nearly antipodal to Golfito Airport (meaning Golfito Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport), and is located 12,192 miles (19,622 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
- The closest airport to Golfito Airport (GLF) is Puerto Jiménez Airport (PJM), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) SW of GLF.