Nonstop flight route between Simferopol, Ukraine and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Simferopol International Airport (SIP), Simferopol, Ukraine and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,735 miles (or 9,229 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 Simferopol International 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 Simferopol International 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 Simferopol International Airport (SIP):

• Starting in 1964, the An-24 was based at the airport.
• Simferopol International Airport (SIP) currently has only 1 runway.
• The International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO didn`t recognize the airport`s take-over by Russian military forces.
• Because of Simferopol International Airport's relatively low elevation of 639 feet, planes can take off or land at Simferopol International 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 Simferopol International Airport (SIP) is Kerch Airport (KHC), which is located 120 miles (193 kilometers) ENE of SIP.
• In addition to being known as "Simferopol International Airport", other names for SIP include "Міжнародний аеропорт "Сімферополь"", "Международный аэропорт "Симферополь"" and "URFF".
• The furthest airport from Simferopol International Airport (SIP) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 10,942 miles (17,609 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Simferopol International Airport is an airport in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• 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.
• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• Internationally, the destruction of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 symbolized the imminent demise of the Soviet Union over the next several months.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
• 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.