Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Kleyate / Tripoli, Lebanon:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Rene Mouawad Air Base (KYE), Kleyate / Tripoli, Lebanon would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,420 miles (or 10,333 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 Rene Mouawad Air Base, 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 Rene Mouawad Air Base. 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 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.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
• 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.
• 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 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.
• Internationally, the destruction of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 symbolized the imminent demise of the Soviet Union over the next several months.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.

Facts about Rene Mouawad Air Base (KYE):

• The furthest airport from Rene Mouawad Air Base (KYE) is Rurutu Airport (RUR), which is located 11,486 miles (18,484 kilometers) away in Rurutu, French Polynesia.
• In 2010, Lebanon’s director general of the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority, Dr Hamdi Chaouk announced that Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport would be built at Kleyate with construction due to start in 2011.
• Rene Mouawad Air Base (KYE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Rene Mouawad Air Base's relatively low elevation of 75 feet, planes can take off or land at Rene Mouawad Air Base 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.
• The closest airport to Rene Mouawad Air Base (KYE) is Bassel al-Assad International Airport (LTK), which is located 56 miles (90 kilometers) N of KYE.
• On July 13, 2006, the Israeli Air Force bombed the air base during the 2006 Israel–Lebanon conflict.
• Later during the Lebanese Civil War period, flights were significantly drawn down and the aircraft were kept in storage.
• In addition to being known as "Rene Mouawad Air Base", another name for KYE is "مطار الرئيس الشهيد رينيه معوض".