Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão, Cape Verde:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO), Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão, Cape Verde would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,808 miles (or 7,738 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 Agostinho Neto 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 Agostinho Neto 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):

• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• To provide air defense of the base, the United States Army established the Ellsworth AFB Defense Area in 1957 and constructed Nike-Ajax Surface-to-air missile sites for air defense.
• 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.
• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
• 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 740th AC&W Squadron began operations in 1955 with AN/MPS-7 search radar, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept and warning station.

Facts about Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO):

• The furthest airport from Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO) is Great Barrier Reef Airport (HTI), which is located 11,990 miles (19,297 kilometers) away in Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia.
• Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Agostinho Neto Airport's relatively low elevation of 32 feet, planes can take off or land at Agostinho Neto 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 closest airport to Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO) is Cesária Évora International Airport (VXE), which is located 26 miles (41 kilometers) S of NTO.