Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Recife, Brazil:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC), Recife, Brazil would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,559 miles (or 8,946 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 Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre 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 Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre 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):

• Internationally, the destruction of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 symbolized the imminent demise of the Soviet Union over the next several months.
• 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.
• 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.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• Ellsworth AFB is 10 miles east of Rapid City, S.D.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 10 miles northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota just north of Box Elder, South Dakota.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• 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.

Facts about Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC):

• On 18 January 1958, a new passenger terminal was inaugurated, replacing the original facility.
• In addition to being known as "Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport", another name for REC is "Aeroporto Internacional do Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre".
• The closest airport to Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC) is Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport (JPA), which is located 68 miles (109 kilometers) N of REC.
• The furthest airport from Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC) is Guam International Airport (GUM), which is nearly antipodal to Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport (meaning Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Guam International Airport), and is located 12,066 miles (19,419 kilometers) away in Hagåtña, Guam.
• Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport's relatively low elevation of 33 feet, planes can take off or land at Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre 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.
• Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport handled 6,840,276 passengers last year.
• The Brazilian Integrated Air Traffic Control and Air Defense Center, section 3 is located in the vicinity of the airport.
• In 1979, an agreement with Infraero was made in order to further develop the airport complex.