Nonstop flight route between Sugar Land, Texas (near Houston), United States and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR), Sugar Land, Texas (near Houston), United States and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,083 miles (or 1,743 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 Sugar Land Regional Airport and Ellsworth Air Force Base, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR):

• The furthest airport from Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 10,990 miles (17,687 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• The closest airport to Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR) is Andrau Airpark (AAP), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) NE of SGR.
• Because of Sugar Land Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 82 feet, planes can take off or land at Sugar Land Regional 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.
• Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR) currently has only 1 runway.
• Donald Hull, an oral surgeon that established a dental program for the Texas Department of Corrections in the early 1950s.
• The airport, the fourth largest airport in Greater Houston as of 2009, receives yearly usage from over 100 Fortune 500 companies.
• Sugar Land Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located in Sugar Land, Texas, 17 miles southwest of the central business district of Houston.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
• Air Defense Command activated the 740th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Rapid City AFB on 1 February 1953 under the ADC 31st Air Division.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• The 740th AC&W Squadron began operations in 1955 with AN/MPS-7 search radar, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept and warning station.
• 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.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".