Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Banff, Alberta, Canada:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Banff Airport (YBA), Banff, Alberta, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 756 miles (or 1,217 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 Banff Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• 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 installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• 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.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• The mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.

Facts about Banff Airport (YBA):

• Banff Airport (YBA) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Banff Airport's high elevation of 4,583 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at YBA. Combined with a high temperature, this could make YBA a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The closest airport to Banff Airport (YBA) is Fairmont Hot Springs Airport (YCZ), which is located 62 miles (100 kilometers) SSW of YBA.
• The furthest airport from Banff Airport (YBA) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,405 miles (16,746 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.