Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Leadville, Colorado, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Lake County Airport (LXV), Leadville, Colorado, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 379 miles (or 610 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 Lake County 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):

• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• 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.
• 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.
• Shortly after additional runway improvements, in July 1949, the 28 BMW began conversion from B-29s to the huge B-36 Peacemaker.
• On 15 July 1945, the 225th AAFBU was inactivated and Rapid City AAB was placed on standby status as the Army Air Forces began to demobilize.
• The mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.

Facts about Lake County Airport (LXV):

• At an elevation of 9,927 ft above mean sea level the airport claims the distinction of being North America's highest.
• Because of Lake County Airport's high elevation of 9,927 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at LXV. Combined with a high temperature, this could make LXV a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013, it is categorized as a general aviation airport.
• In addition to being known as "Lake County Airport", another name for LXV is "Leadville Airport".
• The closest airport to Lake County Airport (LXV) is Aspen–Pitkin County Airport (ASE), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) W of LXV.
• Lake County Airport, also known as Leadville Airport, is a county-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Leadville, a city in Lake County, Colorado, United States.
• Lake County Airport covers an area of 605 acres.
• Lake County Airport (LXV) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Lake County Airport (LXV) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,958 miles (17,635 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• The highest helicopter flight training school in the world, RAVCO, operates out of the Lake County Airport.