Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Chillán, Ñuble, Chile:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and General Bernardo O'Higgins Airport (YAI), Chillán, Ñuble, Chile would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,907 miles (or 9,506 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 General Bernardo O'Higgins 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 General Bernardo O'Higgins 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 mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.
• 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.
• On 1 June 1971, SAC deactivated the 821st Strategic Aerospace Division and by October of that year, an upgraded LGM-30F Minuteman II also replaced the Minuteman I missiles.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• In March 1944, heavy bomber operational training ended and the 225th Army Air Force Base Unit began training of replacement personnel for deployed heavy bombardment units in the overseas combat theaters.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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 General Bernardo O'Higgins Airport (YAI):

• Because of General Bernardo O'Higgins Airport's relatively low elevation of 495 feet, planes can take off or land at General Bernardo O'Higgins 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 furthest airport from General Bernardo O'Higgins Airport (YAI) is Qingyang Airport (IQN), which is nearly antipodal to General Bernardo O'Higgins Airport (meaning General Bernardo O'Higgins Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Qingyang Airport), and is located 12,379 miles (19,922 kilometers) away in Qingyang, Gansu, China.
• General Bernardo O'Higgins Airport (YAI) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to General Bernardo O'Higgins Airport (YAI) is Carriel Sur International Airport (CCP), which is located 59 miles (94 kilometers) WSW of YAI.