Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Gallup, New Mexico, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Gallup Municipal Airport (GUP), Gallup, New Mexico, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 669 miles (or 1,076 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 relatively short distance between Ellsworth Air Force Base and Gallup Municipal Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• 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.
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.
• 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.
• Ellsworth's population of approximately 8,000 includes military members, family members and civilian employees.
• 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 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.
• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.

Facts about Gallup Municipal Airport (GUP):

• The closest airport to Gallup Municipal Airport (GUP) is St. Johns Industrial Air Park (SJN), which is located 76 miles (123 kilometers) SSW of GUP.
• Gallup Municipal Airport (GUP) currently has only 1 runway.
• In 2007 and early 2008 the airport had Great Lakes Airlines non-stop flights to Phoenix, and to Denver via Farmington.
• Because of Gallup Municipal Airport's high elevation of 6,472 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at GUP. Combined with a high temperature, this could make GUP a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The furthest airport from Gallup Municipal Airport (GUP) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,248 miles (18,102 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.