Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Yelizovo Airport (PKC), Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,173 miles (or 6,715 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 Yelizovo 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 Yelizovo 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• In March 1944, heavy bomber operational training ended and the 225th Army Air Force Base Unit began training of replacement personnel for deployed heavy bombardment units in the overseas combat theaters.
• 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 host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force.

Facts about Yelizovo Airport (PKC):

• Yelizovo Airport (PKC) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Yelizovo Airport", another name for PKC is "Аэропорт Елизово".
• The furthest airport from Yelizovo Airport (PKC) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is located 10,947 miles (17,617 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.
• The closest airport to Yelizovo Airport (PKC) is Sokol Airport (GDX), which is located 550 miles (886 kilometers) NNW of PKC.
• Because of Yelizovo Airport's relatively low elevation of 131 feet, planes can take off or land at Yelizovo 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.
• Airliner World ran a feature in their August 2008 issue on 'Aviation in Kamchatka,' leading with descriptions of Yelizovo.