Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Le Bourget (near Paris), France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Paris–Le Bourget Airport (LBG), Le Bourget (near Paris), France would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,592 miles (or 7,390 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 Paris–Le Bourget 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 Paris–Le Bourget 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 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.
• Ellsworth's population of approximately 8,000 includes military members, family members and civilian employees.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 1986, the base and the 28 BMW made extensive preparations to phase out the aging B-52 fleet and become the second home for the advanced B-1B Lancer.

Facts about Paris–Le Bourget Airport (LBG):

• The closest airport to Paris–Le Bourget Airport (LBG) is Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) ENE of LBG.
• Statue honouring the 1927 transatlantic efforts of Charles Nungesser, Francois Coli, and Charles Lindbergh, placed in 1928 at the aerodrome's entrance.
• The airport hosts a statue commemorating Frenchwoman Raymonde de Laroche who was the first woman to earn a pilot's licence.
• In addition to being known as "Paris–Le Bourget Airport", other names for LBG include "Paris - Le Bourget Airport", "Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget" and "Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) A-54".
• Because of Paris–Le Bourget Airport's relatively low elevation of 220 feet, planes can take off or land at Paris–Le Bourget 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.
• The furthest airport from Paris–Le Bourget Airport (LBG) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Paris–Le Bourget Airport (meaning Paris–Le Bourget Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,076 miles (19,435 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The airport started commercial operations in 1919 and was Paris's only airport until the construction of Orly Airport in 1932.
• Paris–Le Bourget Airport (LBG) has 3 runways.