Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Koyukuk, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Koyukuk Airport (KYU), Koyukuk, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,502 miles (or 4,027 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 Koyukuk 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 Koyukuk 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):

• 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 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force.
• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.

Facts about Koyukuk Airport (KYU):

• The closest airport to Koyukuk Airport (KYU) is Nulato Airport (NUL), which is located only 14 miles (23 kilometers) SW of KYU.
• Koyukuk Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located in Koyukuk, a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area of the U.S.
• Koyukuk Airport covers an area of 287 acres at an elevation of 149 feet above mean sea level.
• Koyukuk Airport (KYU) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Koyukuk Airport (KYU) is George Airport (GRJ), which is located 10,304 miles (16,583 kilometers) away in George, South Africa.
• Because of Koyukuk Airport's relatively low elevation of 149 feet, planes can take off or land at Koyukuk 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.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, this airport had 1,018 passenger boardings in calendar year 2007, a decrease of 22% from the 1,305 enplanements in 2006.