Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Salalah, Oman:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Salalah Airport (SLL), Salalah, Oman would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,970 miles (or 12,827 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 Salalah 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 Salalah 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):

• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• 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 mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.
• 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.
• 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 addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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 Salalah Airport (SLL):

• The furthest airport from Salalah Airport (SLL) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is located 11,720 miles (18,862 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.
• Because of Salalah Airport's relatively low elevation of 73 feet, planes can take off or land at Salalah 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 Salalah International Airport is built to cater to 1 million passengers annually in its initial construction phase, and will be opened at the end of 2014.
• In 2011 planning and construction began for the new state-of-the-art Salalah International Airport.
• Salalah Airport (SLL) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Salalah Airport (SLL) is Al Ghaydha Airport (AAY), which is located 140 miles (225 kilometers) WSW of SLL.
• Since 2003, the airport experienced increases in passenger traffic and civilian aircraft traffic.
• Salalah Airport opened in 1977.
• In addition to being known as "Salalah Airport", another name for SLL is "مطار صلالة".