Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Land's End, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Land's End Airport (LEQ), Land's End, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,259 miles (or 6,854 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 Land's End 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 Land's End 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 AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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 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 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.

Facts about Land's End Airport (LEQ):

• Land's End Airport (LEQ) has 4 runways.
• During the winters of 2012/13 and 2013/14 the airport closed for long periods when the grass runways became waterlogged, and flights were temporarily moved from Land's End to Newquay.
• Between 1966 and 1970, Scillonia Airways operated from the airport, flying Rapides.
• The closest airport to Land's End Airport (LEQ) is St Mary's Airport (ISC), which is located 31 miles (49 kilometers) WSW of LEQ.
• In addition to being known as "Land's End Airport", another name for LEQ is "St Just Airport".
• The furthest airport from Land's End Airport (LEQ) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is nearly antipodal to Land's End Airport (meaning Land's End Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Dunedin International Airport), and is located 12,091 miles (19,459 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• Land's End Airport handled 46,626 passengers last year.
• Because of Land's End Airport's relatively low elevation of 401 feet, planes can take off or land at Land's End 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.