Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Hefei, Anhui, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Hefei Luogang International Airport (HFE), Hefei, Anhui, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,607 miles (or 10,632 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 Hefei Luogang 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 Hefei Luogang 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 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 host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force.
• In October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• Air Defense Command activated the 740th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Rapid City AFB on 1 February 1953 under the ADC 31st Air Division.
• 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 Hefei Luogang International Airport (HFE):

• In addition to being known as "Hefei Luogang International Airport", other names for HFE include "合肥骆岗国际机场" and "Héféi Luògǎng Guójì Jīchǎng".
• The closest airport to Hefei Luogang International Airport (HFE) is Bengbu Airport (BFU), which is located 74 miles (119 kilometers) N of HFE.
• The furthest airport from Hefei Luogang International Airport (HFE) is Ingeniero Aeronáutico Ambrosio L.V. Taravella International Airport (COR), which is nearly antipodal to Hefei Luogang International Airport (meaning Hefei Luogang International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Ingeniero Aeronáutico Ambrosio L.V. Taravella International Airport), and is located 12,342 miles (19,863 kilometers) away in Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.
• Hefei Luogang International Airport handled 4,398,739 passengers last year.
• Hefei Luogang International Airport (HFE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Hefei Luogang International Airport's relatively low elevation of 108 feet, planes can take off or land at Hefei Luogang 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.