Nonstop flight route between Valledupar, Colombia and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Alfonso López Pumarejo Airport (VUP), Valledupar, Colombia and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,930 miles (or 4,715 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 Alfonso López Pumarejo 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 Alfonso López Pumarejo 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 Alfonso López Pumarejo Airport (VUP):

• Because of Alfonso López Pumarejo Airport's relatively low elevation of 456 feet, planes can take off or land at Alfonso López Pumarejo 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.
• Alfonso López Pumarejo Airport (VUP) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Alfonso López Pumarejo Airport (VUP) is La Mina Airport Jorge Isaacs Airport (MCJ), which is located 75 miles (121 kilometers) NE of VUP.
• In addition to being known as "Alfonso López Pumarejo Airport", another name for VUP is "Aeropuerto Alfonso López Pumarejo".
• The furthest airport from Alfonso López Pumarejo Airport (VUP) is Christmas Island Airport (XCH), which is nearly antipodal to Alfonso López Pumarejo Airport (meaning Alfonso López Pumarejo Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Christmas Island Airport), and is located 12,365 miles (19,899 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Australia.

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.
• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• 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.
• 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.
• In October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.
• 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.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• 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.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.