Nonstop flight route between Rostock, Germany and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Rostock–Laage Airport (RLG), Rostock, Germany and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,667 miles (or 7,511 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 Rostock–Laage Airport and Ellsworth Air Force Base, 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 Rostock–Laage Airport and Ellsworth Air Force Base. 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 Rostock–Laage Airport (RLG):

• In addition to being known as "Rostock–Laage Airport", another name for RLG is "Flughafen Rostock–Laage".
• Rostock–Laage Airport (RLG) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Rostock–Laage Airport (RLG) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,635 miles (18,724 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Rostock–Laage Airport's relatively low elevation of 138 feet, planes can take off or land at Rostock–Laage 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 closest airport to Rostock–Laage Airport (RLG) is Stralsund Barth Airport (BBH), which is located 34 miles (55 kilometers) NNE of RLG.
• There are three buses a day from Rostock Central Station.
• The airport consists of one modern passenger terminal building containing a large check-in hall as well as some shops and restaurants.
• Construction of the airport began in 1979 as a National People's Army facility.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• In October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.
• The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force.
• Shortly after additional runway improvements, in July 1949, the 28 BMW began conversion from B-29s to the huge B-36 Peacemaker.
• 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.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• 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.