Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Taipa, Macau:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Macau International Airport (MFM), Taipa, Macau would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,303 miles (or 11,753 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 Macau 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 Macau 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):

• 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.
• On 1 June 1992, as part of the first major reorganization since the creation of USAF, the Air Force inactivated Strategic Air Command and assigned Ellsworth's organizations ) to the newly activated Air Combat Command.
• 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.
• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force.

Facts about Macau International Airport (MFM):

• The closest airport to Macau International Airport (MFM) is Zhuhai Jinwan Airport (ZUH), which is located only 17 miles (27 kilometers) SW of MFM.
• Macau International Airport (MFM) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Macau International Airport", other names for MFM include "Aeroporto Internacional de Macau", "澳門國際機場" and "Oumùhn Gwokjai Gēichèuhng".
• The furthest airport from Macau International Airport (MFM) is Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza International Airport (TJA), which is nearly antipodal to Macau International Airport (meaning Macau International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza International Airport), and is located 12,320 miles (19,827 kilometers) away in Tarija, Bolivia.
• There are two airport fire and rescue stations, one at the terminal end of taxiway H and the other at the runway end of taxiway C1).
• The airport's runway was built on a strip of reclaimed land in the sea, adjacent to Taipa Island, where the main terminal and air traffic control facilities are located.
• Directly opposite the airport departure lounge is the Golden Crown Airport Hotel.
• Despite its small physical size, the airport is capable of handling Boeing 747s and Antonov 124s, which forms a vital freight link between local manufacturers and overseas markets.
• Because of Macau International Airport's relatively low elevation of 20 feet, planes can take off or land at Macau 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.