Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Rockford, Illinois, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from RCA to RFD:
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- About this route
- RCA Airport Information
- RFD Airport Information
- Facts about RCA
- Facts about RFD
- Map of Nearest Airports to RCA
- List of Nearest Airports to RCA
- Map of Furthest Airports from RCA
- List of Furthest Airports from RCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to RFD
- List of Nearest Airports to RFD
- Map of Furthest Airports from RFD
- List of Furthest Airports from RFD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD), Rockford, Illinois, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 716 miles (or 1,153 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 relatively short distance between Ellsworth Air Force Base and Chicago Rockford International Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RCA / KRCA |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 44°8'47"N by 103°4'28"W |
View all routes: | Routes from RCA |
More Information: | RCA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RFD / KRFD |
Airport Name: | Chicago Rockford International Airport |
Location: | Rockford, Illinois, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 42°11'43"N by 89°5'49"W |
Area Served: | Rockford, Illinois |
Operator/Owner: | Greater Rockford Airport Authority |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 742 feet (226 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from RFD |
More Information: | RFD Maps & Info |
Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):
- In 1986, the base and the 28 BMW made extensive preparations to phase out the aging B-52 fleet and become the second home for the advanced B-1B Lancer.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
- Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
- 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 Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD):
- Air shows have played an integral role in the history of the Rockford Airport.
- In an effort to capitalize on the airport's location from downtown Chicago and about 30 miles from the outermost Chicago suburbs), its name was changed to the Northwest Chicagoland Regional Airport at Rockford in the early 2000s.
- Because of Chicago Rockford International Airport's relatively low elevation of 742 feet, planes can take off or land at Chicago Rockford 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.
- RFD has two cargo aprons in use.
- Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) is Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport (JVL), which is located 30 miles (47 kilometers) N of RFD.
- The furthest airport from Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,008 miles (17,716 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Located in between the two runways, the smaller south cargo apron is home to one of the two FBOs at the airport.