Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Varadero, Matanzas Province, Cuba:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from RCA to VRA:
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- About this route
- RCA Airport Information
- VRA Airport Information
- Facts about RCA
- Facts about VRA
- Map of Nearest Airports to RCA
- List of Nearest Airports to RCA
- Map of Furthest Airports from RCA
- List of Furthest Airports from RCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to VRA
- List of Nearest Airports to VRA
- Map of Furthest Airports from VRA
- List of Furthest Airports from VRA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA), Varadero, Matanzas Province, Cuba would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,906 miles (or 3,067 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 Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RCA / KRCA |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 44°8'47"N by 103°4'28"W |
View all routes: | Routes from RCA |
More Information: | RCA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | VRA / MUVR |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Varadero, Matanzas Province, Cuba |
GPS Coordinates: | 23°2'3"N by 81°26'7"W |
Operator/Owner: | ECASA S.A. |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 210 feet (64 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from VRA |
More Information: | VRA Maps & Info |
Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):
- 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 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.
- Military organizations periodically upgrade manpower and machines from time to time to meet new national security requirements and Ellsworth Air Force Base's organizations were no exception.
- The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
- In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
- 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 October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.
- 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.
- 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.
Facts about Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA):
- Because of Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport's relatively low elevation of 210 feet, planes can take off or land at Juan Gualberto Gómez 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 "Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport", another name for VRA is "Aeropuerto Juan Gualberto Gómez".
- Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA) currently has only 1 runway.
- There has been 5 significant incidents involving aircraft from or en route to the airport since the 1950s.
- The closest airport to Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA) is Kawama Airport (VRO), which is located only 10 miles (17 kilometers) NE of VRA.
- The furthest airport from Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,679 miles (18,795 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.