Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Salinas, Ecuador:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and General Ulpiano Paez Airport (SNC), Salinas, Ecuador would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,481 miles (or 5,603 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 General Ulpiano Paez 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 General Ulpiano Paez 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):

• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• 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.
• Shortly after additional runway improvements, in July 1949, the 28 BMW began conversion from B-29s to the huge B-36 Peacemaker.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• Internationally, the destruction of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 symbolized the imminent demise of the Soviet Union over the next several months.
• 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 General Ulpiano Paez Airport (SNC):

• The furthest airport from General Ulpiano Paez Airport (SNC) is Aek Godang Airport (AEG), which is nearly antipodal to General Ulpiano Paez Airport (meaning General Ulpiano Paez Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Aek Godang Airport), and is located 12,374 miles (19,914 kilometers) away in Padang Sidempuan, Indonesia.
• During World War II the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces Sixth Air Force defending the South American coastline and the Panama Canal against Japanese submarines.
• Because of General Ulpiano Paez Airport's relatively low elevation of 18 feet, planes can take off or land at General Ulpiano Paez 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 airport resides at an elevation of 18 feet above mean sea level.
• General Ulpiano Paez Airport (SNC) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to General Ulpiano Paez Airport (SNC) is José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport (GYE), which is located 76 miles (123 kilometers) E of SNC.
• In addition to being known as "General Ulpiano Paez Airport", another name for SNC is "Aeropuerto General Ulpiano Paez".