Nonstop flight route between Rock Springs, Wyoming, United States and Tonopah, Nevada, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from RKS to XSD:
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- About this route
- RKS Airport Information
- XSD Airport Information
- Facts about RKS
- Facts about XSD
- Map of Nearest Airports to RKS
- List of Nearest Airports to RKS
- Map of Furthest Airports from RKS
- List of Furthest Airports from RKS
- Map of Nearest Airports to XSD
- List of Nearest Airports to XSD
- Map of Furthest Airports from XSD
- List of Furthest Airports from XSD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Rock Springs–Sweetwater County Airport (RKS), Rock Springs, Wyoming, United States and Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD), Tonopah, Nevada, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 487 miles (or 783 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 Rock Springs–Sweetwater County Airport and Tonopah Test Range Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | RKS / KRKS |
| Airport Name: | Rock Springs–Sweetwater County Airport |
| Location: | Rock Springs, Wyoming, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 41°35'39"N by 109°3'55"W |
| Area Served: | Rock Springs, Wyoming |
| Operator/Owner: | Rock Springs & Sweetwater County |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 6765 feet (2,062 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from RKS |
| More Information: | RKS Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | XSD / KTNX |
| Airport Name: | Tonopah Test Range Airport |
| Location: | Tonopah, Nevada, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 37°47'40"N by 116°46'42"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from XSD |
| More Information: | XSD Maps & Info |
Facts about Rock Springs–Sweetwater County Airport (RKS):
- Rock Springs–Sweetwater County Airport (RKS) has 2 runways.
- United Airlines DC-3s landed at Rock Springs until 1952.
- Because of Rock Springs–Sweetwater County Airport's high elevation of 6,765 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at RKS. Combined with a high temperature, this could make RKS a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- Rock Springs–Sweetwater County Airport is eight miles east of Rock Springs, in Sweetwater County, Wyoming.
- The furthest airport from Rock Springs–Sweetwater County Airport (RKS) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,864 miles (17,484 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- The closest airport to Rock Springs–Sweetwater County Airport (RKS) is Kemmerer Municipal Airport (EMM), which is located 79 miles (126 kilometers) WNW of RKS.
- The airport covers 1,242 acres at an elevation of 6,765 feet.
Facts about Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD):
- The Tonopah Test Range airfield came into existence in 1957 and was used by the Department of Energy, the Air Force, and several contractors.
- Near the end of the Cold War the program was abandoned and the squadron was disbanded.
- The furthest airport from Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,207 miles (18,036 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
- In the summer of 1979, Tonopah Test Range Airport was selected to be the home of the Tactical Air Command 4450th Tactical Group.
- In 1980 the 4477th TEF was re-designated as the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron and the operation was renamed again to Constant Peg.
- Tonopah is owned by the USAF Air Combat Command.
- Foreign military sales of United States fighter aircraft to Indonesia and Egypt in the mid-1970s to replace the Soviet fighter aircraft allowed these nations to clandestinely transfer un-needed MiG-21 ultra modern MiG-23s aircraft to the United States for evaluation.
- The closest airport to Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD) is Tonopah Airport (TPH), which is located 25 miles (40 kilometers) NW of XSD.
