Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Momote Airport (MAS), Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,278 miles (or 11,713 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 Momote 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 Momote 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):

• Military organizations periodically upgrade manpower and machines from time to time to meet new national security requirements and Ellsworth Air Force Base's organizations were no exception.
• 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 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 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 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.
• Internationally, the destruction of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 symbolized the imminent demise of the Soviet Union over the next several months.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.

Facts about Momote Airport (MAS):

• Because of Momote Airport's relatively low elevation of 12 feet, planes can take off or land at Momote 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.
• Built by the Imperial Japanese at Momote during World War II.
• The closest airport to Momote Airport (MAS) is Emirau Airport (EMI), which is located 179 miles (287 kilometers) E of MAS.
• The furthest airport from Momote Airport (MAS) is Governador Carlos Wilson Airport (FEN), which is nearly antipodal to Momote Airport (meaning Momote Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Governador Carlos Wilson Airport), and is located 12,028 miles (19,357 kilometers) away in Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil.
• The airport resides at an elevation of 12 feet above mean sea level.
• Momote Airport (MAS) currently has only 1 runway.