Nonstop flight route between Wevelgem, Belgium and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport (KJK), Wevelgem, Belgium and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,534 miles (or 7,297 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 Kortrijk-Wevelgem International 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 Kortrijk-Wevelgem International 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 Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport (KJK):

• Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport (KJK) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport's relatively low elevation of 64 feet, planes can take off or land at Kortrijk-Wevelgem International 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.
• The closest airport to Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport (KJK) is Lille Airport (LIL), which is located only 18 miles (29 kilometers) SSW of KJK.
• The furthest airport from Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport (KJK) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,952 miles (19,235 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport", another name for KJK is "Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) B-55".

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• 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 installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• In October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.