Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Sandnessjøen, Norway:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka (SSJ), Sandnessjøen, Norway would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,100 miles (or 6,598 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 Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka, 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 Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka. 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 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".
• Air Defense Command activated the 740th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Rapid City AFB on 1 February 1953 under the ADC 31st Air Division.
• 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.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• 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.
• Ellsworth's population of approximately 8,000 includes military members, family members and civilian employees.
• 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 October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.

Facts about Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka (SSJ):

• The first air route along the coast of western Norway between Bergen and Tromsø started June 7, 1935 with three weekly departures and stop overs in Ålesund, Molde, Kristiansund, Trondheim, Brønnøysund, Sandnessjøen, Bodø, Narvik and Harstad.
• Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka handled 75,096 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka (SSJ) is Mosjøen Airport, Kjærstad (MJF), which is located 24 miles (39 kilometers) ESE of SSJ.
• The furthest airport from Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka (SSJ) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 10,870 miles (17,493 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka (SSJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka's relatively low elevation of 56 feet, planes can take off or land at Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka 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.
• In addition to being known as "Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka", another name for SSJ is "Sandnessjøen Lufthavn, Stokka".
• Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka is a regional airport serving the town of Sandnessjøen, Norway.
• Since the float planes could only be operated during daylight and in good weather, a more stable air transport solution was deemed necessary as the volume of traffic steadily grew.