Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Jerez de la Frontera, Spain:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Jerez Airport (XRY), Jerez de la Frontera, Spain would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,818 miles (or 7,754 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 Jerez 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 Jerez 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):

• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force.
• 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.
• 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.
• Shortly after additional runway improvements, in July 1949, the 28 BMW began conversion from B-29s to the huge B-36 Peacemaker.
• The airfield was again temporarily shut down from September 1946 – March 1947 and underwent a major construction program to upgrade the temporary wartime facilities to that of a permanent base.
• 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.
• 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 Jerez Airport (XRY):

• There are regular buses to and from the airport to Jerez, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Cádiz.
• Jerez Airport (XRY) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Jerez Airport (XRY) is Auckland Airport (AKL), which is nearly antipodal to Jerez Airport (meaning Jerez Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Auckland Airport), and is located 12,386 miles (19,934 kilometers) away in Mangere, New Zealand.
• Because of Jerez Airport's relatively low elevation of 93 feet, planes can take off or land at Jerez 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 "Jerez Airport", another name for XRY is "Aeropuerto de Jerez".
• The closest airport to Jerez Airport (XRY) is Seville Airport (SVQ), which is located 47 miles (76 kilometers) N of XRY.
• Most visitors at the airport arrive from Germany and the UK however around 36% of all arriving passengers at Jerez Airport are on domestic flights.
• Jerez Airport train station is situated to the west of the airport, this is the other side of the car parking.