Nonstop flight route between Saba, Caribbean Netherlands and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB), Saba, Caribbean Netherlands and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,944 miles (or 4,737 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 Juancho E. Yrausquin 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 Juancho E. Yrausquin 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 Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB):

• Because of Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport's relatively low elevation of 60 feet, planes can take off or land at Juancho E. Yrausquin 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 Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB) is Karratha Airport (KTA), which is nearly antipodal to Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (meaning Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Karratha Airport), and is located 12,225 miles (19,674 kilometers) away in Karratha / Dampier, Western Australia, Australia.
• Although the airport is closed to jet traffic, regional airline propeller aircraft are able to land there under waivers from The Netherlands Antilles' Civil Aviation Authority.
• The only airline currently serving Yrausquin Airport is locally owned Winair, which operates daily flights to Sint Maarten and Sint Eustatius aboard a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.
• The airport has the shortest commercial runway in the world, only 400 meters long, flanked on one side by high hills, with cliffs that drop into the sea at both ends.
• The closest airport to Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB) is F.D. Roosevelt Airport (EUX), which is located only 19 miles (30 kilometers) ESE of SAB.
• Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (SAB) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• The 12th Air Division moved to Ellsworth on 15 July 1988.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• To provide air defense of the base, the United States Army established the Ellsworth AFB Defense Area in 1957 and constructed Nike-Ajax Surface-to-air missile sites for air defense.
• 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 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.
• 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 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.
• 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.