Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Astor Piazzolla International Airport (MDQ), Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,343 miles (or 10,208 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 Astor Piazzolla International 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 Astor Piazzolla International 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):

• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
• In October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.
• 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.
• Shortly after additional runway improvements, in July 1949, the 28 BMW began conversion from B-29s to the huge B-36 Peacemaker.
• 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.

Facts about Astor Piazzolla International Airport (MDQ):

• The closest airport to Astor Piazzolla International Airport (MDQ) is Miramar Airport (MJR), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) SW of MDQ.
• Because of Astor Piazzolla International Airport's relatively low elevation of 71 feet, planes can take off or land at Astor Piazzolla International 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 Astor Piazzolla International Airport (MDQ) is Weihai Dashuibo Airport (WEH), which is nearly antipodal to Astor Piazzolla International Airport (meaning Astor Piazzolla International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Weihai Dashuibo Airport), and is located 12,384 miles (19,930 kilometers) away in Weihai, Shandong, China.
• Ástor Piazzolla International Airport is located 7 km north of the center of Mar del Plata, a city in the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina.
• Astor Piazzolla International Airport (MDQ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The existing terminal building was constructed in 1978 for the FIFA World Cup.
• In addition to being known as "Astor Piazzolla International Airport", another name for MDQ is "Aeropuerto Internacional de Mar del Plata "Ástor Piazzolla"".