Nonstop flight route between Airlie Beach, Australia and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from WSY to RCA:
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- About this route
- WSY Airport Information
- RCA Airport Information
- Facts about WSY
- Facts about RCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to WSY
- List of Nearest Airports to WSY
- Map of Furthest Airports from WSY
- List of Furthest Airports from WSY
- Map of Nearest Airports to RCA
- List of Nearest Airports to RCA
- Map of Furthest Airports from RCA
- List of Furthest Airports from RCA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Whitsunday Airport (WSY), Airlie Beach, Australia and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,072 miles (or 12,990 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 Whitsunday 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 Whitsunday 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:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | WSY / YWHI |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Airlie Beach, Australia |
GPS Coordinates: | 20°16'36"S by 148°45'19"E |
Operator/Owner: | Jeffrey Ruddell |
Airport Type: | Private |
Elevation: | 40 feet (12 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from WSY |
More Information: | WSY Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RCA / KRCA |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 44°8'47"N by 103°4'28"W |
View all routes: | Routes from RCA |
More Information: | RCA Maps & Info |
Facts about Whitsunday Airport (WSY):
- The furthest airport from Whitsunday Airport (WSY) is Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO), which is located 11,982 miles (19,283 kilometers) away in Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão, Cape Verde.
- In addition to being known as "Whitsunday Airport", another name for WSY is "Shute Harbour Airport".
- The closest airport to Whitsunday Airport (WSY) is Great Barrier Reef Airport (HTI), which is located only 14 miles (22 kilometers) ESE of WSY.
- Whitsunday Airport (WSY) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Whitsunday Airport's relatively low elevation of 40 feet, planes can take off or land at Whitsunday 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.
Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):
- Ellsworth AFB is 10 miles east of Rapid City, S.D.
- Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
- In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
- 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.
- In October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.
- 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 mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.
- Shortly after additional runway improvements, in July 1949, the 28 BMW began conversion from B-29s to the huge B-36 Peacemaker.