Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Frankfurt–Hahn Airport (HHN), Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,707 miles (or 7,575 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 Frankfurt–Hahn 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 Frankfurt–Hahn 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):

• The 740th AC&W Squadron began operations in 1955 with AN/MPS-7 search radar, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept and warning station.
• 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 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.
• On 15 July 1945, the 225th AAFBU was inactivated and Rapid City AAB was placed on standby status as the Army Air Forces began to demobilize.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Frankfurt–Hahn Airport (HHN):

• In addition to being known as "Frankfurt–Hahn Airport", another name for HHN is "Flughafen Frankfurt-Hahn".
• The German government decided to turn the former airfield into a civil airport.
• On 30 September 1993, most of Hahn Air Base was turned over to civil German authorities.
• Frankfurt–Hahn Airport (HHN) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Frankfurt–Hahn Airport (HHN) is Spangdahlem Air Base (SPM), which is located 25 miles (41 kilometers) W of HHN.
• Frankfurt–Hahn Airport is almost equidistant from Frankfurt and Luxembourg – the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof being 123 km from the airport and Gare Centrale Luxembourg being 118 km from the airport.
• AirIT Services AG, a subsidiary of Fraport, has its head office in Building 663 at Hahn Airport.
• The furthest airport from Frankfurt–Hahn Airport (HHN) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,978 miles (19,276 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Despite its name, the airport is virtually equidistant between Frankfurt and Luxembourg – about 120 km to each city by road.