Nonstop flight route between Tarija, Bolivia and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza International Airport (TJA), Tarija, Bolivia and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,147 miles (or 8,284 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 Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza 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 Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza 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 Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza International Airport (TJA):

• The closest airport to Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza International Airport (TJA) is Yacuiba Airport (BYC), which is located 73 miles (117 kilometers) ESE of TJA.
• Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza International Airport (TJA) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza International Airport's high elevation of 6,084 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at TJA. Combined with a high temperature, this could make TJA a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The furthest airport from Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza International Airport (TJA) is Shun Tak Heliport (HHP), which is nearly antipodal to Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza International Airport (meaning Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Shun Tak Heliport), and is located 12,348 miles (19,871 kilometers) away in Sheung Wan, China.

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.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• 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.
• 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.
• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• 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.
• 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.
• Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 10 miles northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota just north of Box Elder, South Dakota.