Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Jacksonville, Florida, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Jacksonville International Airport (JAX), Jacksonville, Florida, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,499 miles (or 2,412 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 Jacksonville International 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):

• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 10 miles northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota just north of Box Elder, South Dakota.
• Ellsworth's population of approximately 8,000 includes military members, family members and civilian employees.

Facts about Jacksonville International Airport (JAX):

• Both of the newer concourses house ten gates each and have moving walkways.
• Because of Jacksonville International Airport's relatively low elevation of 30 feet, planes can take off or land at Jacksonville 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.
• Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) is Kalbarri Airport (KAX), which is located 11,456 miles (18,436 kilometers) away in Kalbarri, Western Australia, Australia.
• The closest airport to Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) is Imeson FieldJacksonville Army AirfieldNaval Auxiliary Air Station Jacksonville #1 (IJX), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) SSE of JAX.
• Jacksonville International Airport handled 5,605,934 passengers last year.
• Concurrent with the closure of Imeson Airport, the 125th Fighter-Interceptor Group of the Florida Air National Guard relocated to Jacksonville International Airport.