Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and St. Joseph, Missouri, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Rosecrans Memorial Airport (STJ), St. Joseph, Missouri, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 517 miles (or 831 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 Rosecrans Memorial Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• After the Army closed their facilities, the military housing at the Nike Integrated Fire Control sites was transferred to control of Ellsworth, and was used as Air Force military family housing until about 1990.
• 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.
• 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 March 1994, Ellsworth welcomed the 34th Bomb Squadron, a geographically separated unit that was awaiting airfield upgrades before it could return to its parent organization, the 366th Wing, at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• On 15 July 1945, the 225th AAFBU was inactivated and Rapid City AAB was placed on standby status as the Army Air Forces began to demobilize.

Facts about Rosecrans Memorial Airport (STJ):

• The last scheduled commercial airline service at the airport was in 1969, three years before the opening of Kansas City International Airport, 30 miles south of downtown St.
• Rosecrans Memorial Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located three miles northwest of the city of St.
• Rosecrans ANGB is currently home to the 139th Airlift Wing, an Air Mobility Command -gained unit of the Missouri Air National Guard, which functions as the host wing for the installation.
• An additional tenant command at Rosecrans ANGB is the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center, a combined activity of both the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve Command.
• Because of Rosecrans Memorial Airport's relatively low elevation of 826 feet, planes can take off or land at Rosecrans Memorial 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 closest airport to Rosecrans Memorial Airport (STJ) is Sherman Army AirfieldSherman Air Force Base (FLV), which is located 28 miles (45 kilometers) S of STJ.
• Rosecrans Memorial Airport (STJ) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Rosecrans Memorial Airport", another name for STJ is "Rosecrans Army Airfield".
• The furthest airport from Rosecrans Memorial Airport (STJ) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,738 miles (17,281 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The 1939 airport was developed by the city as a municipal airport.