Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and West Palm Beach, Florida, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA), West Palm Beach, Florida, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,763 miles (or 2,837 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 Palm Beach County Park 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):

• In October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.
• 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.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• 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 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.
• 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.

Facts about Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA):

• The Civil Air Patrol continued to use Lantana throughout the 1950s and the field served as the Group 5 Headquarters.
• The furthest airport from Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) is Shark Bay Airport (MJK), which is located 11,589 miles (18,651 kilometers) away in Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.
• Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) has 3 runways.
• Because of Palm Beach County Park Airport's relatively low elevation of 14 feet, planes can take off or land at Palm Beach County Park 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.
• On June 23, 1996, the flight crew of a Carnival Airlines Boeing 727 mistook Palm Beach County Airport for Palm Beach International Airport which is about five miles to the north of Palm Beach County and also has a major east-west runway.
• Palm Beach County Park Airport covers an area of 304 acres at an elevation of 14 feet above mean sea level.
• The airport was expanded in the 80s with the air right-of-way for runway 9 being contributed by aviation enthusiasts and the right-of-way for runway 27 obtained through court action.
• The closest airport to Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) is Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) N of LNA.