Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,743 miles (or 12,461 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 Teniente Rodolfo Marsh 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 Teniente Rodolfo Marsh 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):

• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
• 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 addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• The 12th Air Division moved to Ellsworth on 15 July 1988.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• 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 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 Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM):

• The closest airport to Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM) is Ushuaia International Airport (USH), which is located 607 miles (978 kilometers) NW of TNM.
• Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport", other names for TNM include "Villa Las Estrellas Airport", "Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Aeropuerto" and "Villa Las Estrellas Aeropuerto".
• The furthest airport from Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM) is Verkhnevilyuysk Airport (VHV), which is nearly antipodal to Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (meaning Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Verkhnevilyuysk Airport), and is located 12,346 miles (19,869 kilometers) away in Verkhnevilyuysk, Woehee Bueluue District, Sakha Republic, Russia.
• Because of Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport's relatively low elevation of 147 feet, planes can take off or land at Teniente Rodolfo Marsh 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.