Nonstop flight route between Udon Thani, Thailand and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Udon Thani International Airport ท่าอากาศยานอุดรธานี (UTH), Udon Thani, Thailand and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,882 miles (or 12,685 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 Udon Thani International Airport ท่าอากาศยานอุดรธานี 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 Udon Thani International Airport ท่าอากาศยานอุดรธานี 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 Udon Thani International Airport ท่าอากาศยานอุดรธานี (UTH):

• Because of Udon Thani International Airport ท่าอากาศยานอุดรธานี's relatively low elevation of 579 feet, planes can take off or land at Udon Thani International Airport ท่าอากาศยานอุดรธานี 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.
• Udon Thani International Airport ท่าอากาศยานอุดรธานี (UTH) currently has only 1 runway.
• On February 8, 2006, an international group of skydivers from 31 countries called "the World Team" set a World Record for the largest freefall formation, a 400-way, over the Udon Thani airport.
• The closest airport to Udon Thani International Airport ท่าอากาศยานอุดรธานี (UTH) is Wattay International Airport (VTE), which is located 44 miles (71 kilometers) NNW of UTH.
• As well as being a commercial facility, Udon Thani International Airport is also an active Royal Thai Air Force base, the home of Wing 23, 2nd Air Division Air Combat Command.
• The furthest airport from Udon Thani International Airport ท่าอากาศยานอุดรธานี (UTH) is Maria Reiche Neuman Airport (NZC), which is nearly antipodal to Udon Thani International Airport ท่าอากาศยานอุดรธานี (meaning Udon Thani International Airport ท่าอากาศยานอุดรธานี is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Maria Reiche Neuman Airport), and is located 12,207 miles (19,645 kilometers) away in Nazca, Ica Region, Peru.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• Ellsworth AFB is 10 miles east of Rapid City, S.D.
• 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 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 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 installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• 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.
• On 1 June 1971, SAC deactivated the 821st Strategic Aerospace Division and by October of that year, an upgraded LGM-30F Minuteman II also replaced the Minuteman I missiles.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• The base experienced one of its worst peacetime tragedies in March 1953 when an RB-36 and its entire crew of 23 crashed in Newfoundland while returning from a routine exercise in Europe.