Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Rach Gia, Kien Giang, Vietnam:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Rach Gia Airport (VKG), Rach Gia, Kien Giang, Vietnam would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,302 miles (or 13,361 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 Rach Gia 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 Rach Gia 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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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".
• Ellsworth's population of approximately 8,000 includes military members, family members and civilian employees.
• The Titan I's life span was short in western South Dakota.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.

Facts about Rach Gia Airport (VKG):

• Rach Gia Airport (VKG) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Rach Gia Airport (VKG) is Tingo María Airport (TGI), which is nearly antipodal to Rach Gia Airport (meaning Rach Gia Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tingo María Airport), and is located 12,346 miles (19,870 kilometers) away in Tingo María, Peru.
• Because of Rach Gia Airport's relatively low elevation of 6 feet, planes can take off or land at Rach Gia 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.
• In addition to being known as "Rach Gia Airport", another name for VKG is "Sân bay Rạch Giá".
• The closest airport to Rach Gia Airport (VKG) is Can Tho International Airport (VCA), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) ENE of VKG.