Nonstop flight route between Noatak, Alaska, United States and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from WTK to RCA:
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- About this route
- WTK Airport Information
- RCA Airport Information
- Facts about WTK
- Facts about RCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to WTK
- List of Nearest Airports to WTK
- Map of Furthest Airports from WTK
- List of Furthest Airports from WTK
- 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 Noatak Airport (WTK), Noatak, Alaska, United States and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,670 miles (or 4,296 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 Noatak 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 Noatak 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: | WTK / PAWN |
Airport Name: | Noatak Airport |
Location: | Noatak, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 67°33'39"N by 162°58'49"W |
Operator/Owner: | Alaska DOT&PF - Northern Region |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 88 feet (27 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from WTK |
More Information: | WTK 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 Noatak Airport (WTK):
- Noatak Airport (WTK) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Noatak Airport (WTK) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is located 10,321 miles (16,611 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.
- Because of Noatak Airport's relatively low elevation of 88 feet, planes can take off or land at Noatak 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 Noatak Airport (WTK) is Kivalina Airport (KVL), which is located 43 miles (70 kilometers) WNW of WTK.
Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):
- 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 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.
- 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.
- Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
- 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.
- 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.