Nonstop flight route between Woensdrecht, Netherlands and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Woensdrecht Air Base (WOE), Woensdrecht, Netherlands and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,542 miles (or 7,310 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 Woensdrecht Air Base 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 Woensdrecht Air Base 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 Woensdrecht Air Base (WOE):

• Woensdrecht Air Base (WOE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Woensdrecht Air Base is a military airport between the villages of Woensdrecht and Huijbergen, about 10 km south of the city of Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands.
• The furthest airport from Woensdrecht Air Base (WOE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,908 miles (19,164 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Woensdrecht Air Base", another name for WOE is "(Advanced Landing Ground B-79)".
• Because of Woensdrecht Air Base's relatively low elevation of 63 feet, planes can take off or land at Woensdrecht Air Base 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 Woensdrecht Air Base (WOE) is Antwerp International Airport (ANR), which is located only 19 miles (30 kilometers) SSE of WOE.
• The airport was founded in 1934 as a glider and training airfield for the Royal Dutch Air Force.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• 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.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• The 12th Air Division moved to Ellsworth on 15 July 1988.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.