Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Kaltag, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from RCA to KAL:
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- About this route
- RCA Airport Information
- KAL Airport Information
- Facts about RCA
- Facts about KAL
- Map of Nearest Airports to RCA
- List of Nearest Airports to RCA
- Map of Furthest Airports from RCA
- List of Furthest Airports from RCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to KAL
- List of Nearest Airports to KAL
- Map of Furthest Airports from KAL
- List of Furthest Airports from KAL
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Kaltag Airport (KAL), Kaltag, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,527 miles (or 4,067 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 Ellsworth Air Force Base and Kaltag Airport, 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 Ellsworth Air Force Base and Kaltag Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RCA / KRCA |
Airport Names: |
|
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 |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | KAL / PAKV |
Airport Name: | Kaltag Airport |
Location: | Kaltag, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 64°19'8"N by 158°44'29"W |
Area Served: | Kaltag, Alaska |
Operator/Owner: | State of Alaska DOT&PF - Northern Region |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 181 feet (55 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from KAL |
More Information: | KAL Maps & Info |
Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):
- Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
- 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.
- To provide air defense of the base, the United States Army established the Ellsworth AFB Defense Area in 1957 and constructed Nike-Ajax Surface-to-air missile sites for air defense.
- An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
- Internationally, the destruction of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 symbolized the imminent demise of the Soviet Union over the next several months.
- 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 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 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".
Facts about Kaltag Airport (KAL):
- The closest airport to Kaltag Airport (KAL) is Nulato Airport (NUL), which is located 35 miles (56 kilometers) NE of KAL.
- The furthest airport from Kaltag Airport (KAL) is George Airport (GRJ), which is located 10,342 miles (16,644 kilometers) away in George, South Africa.
- Kaltag Airport (KAL) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Kaltag Airport's relatively low elevation of 181 feet, planes can take off or land at Kaltag 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.