Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Phuket, Thailand:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Phuket International Airport (HKT), Phuket, Thailand would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,586 miles (or 13,819 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 Phuket 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 Phuket 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):

• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
• To provide air defense of the base, the United States Army established the Ellsworth AFB Defense Area in 1957 and constructed Nike-Ajax Surface-to-air missile sites for air defense.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• 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 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 host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• The Titan I's life span was short in western South Dakota.

Facts about Phuket International Airport (HKT):

• The closest airport to Phuket International Airport (HKT) is Krabi International Airport (KBV), which is located 46 miles (74 kilometers) E of HKT.
• Phuket International Airport handled 11,342,491 passengers last year.
• Because of Phuket International Airport's relatively low elevation of 82 feet, planes can take off or land at Phuket 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.
• Phuket International Airport (HKT) currently has only 1 runway.
• Due to record-setting passenger numbers, the airport is currently undergoing a THB 5.8 billion expansion and renovation which will last until 2015.
• In addition to being known as "Phuket International Airport", another name for HKT is "ท่าอากาศยานภูเก็ต".
• The furthest airport from Phuket International Airport (HKT) is Cap. FAP José A. Quiñones González International Airport (CIX), which is nearly antipodal to Phuket International Airport (meaning Phuket International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cap. FAP José A. Quiñones González International Airport), and is located 12,280 miles (19,763 kilometers) away in Chiclayo, Peru.