Nonstop flight route between Winfield/Arkansas City, Kansas, United States and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Strother Field (WLD), Winfield/Arkansas City, Kansas, United States and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 576 miles (or 927 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 Strother Field 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 Strother Field (WLD):

• The furthest airport from Strother Field (WLD) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,751 miles (17,302 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• For the 12-month period ending November 19, 2008, the airport had 6,500 general aviation aircraft operations, an average of 17 per day.
• The closest airport to Strother Field (WLD) is Earl Henry Airport (BWL), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) SSW of WLD.
• The airport is named for Donald Root Strother, the first Army Air Corp pilot from Cowley County, Kansas to lose his life in World War II.
• In addition to being known as "Strother Field", another name for WLD is "(formerly Strother Army Airfield)".
• Strother Field (WLD) has 2 runways.

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 is 10 miles east of Rapid City, S.D.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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".