KRCA · Ellsworth Air Force Base

RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA · MEDIUM AIRPORT

3,276

Elevation ft

Runway

13,497

Longest ft · 13/31

44.15N

103.10W

Ellsworth Air Force Base serves Rapid City, South Dakota at 3,276 ft elevation with its longest runway, 13/31, at 13,497 by 300 ft. The figures below are computed from FAA NASR runway data (via OurAirports) and the same rules of thumb JetDesk uses on the airport page in the app; the POH and current NOTAMs are the authority.

Military airfield. This is a military airfield in the FAA file. It is listed here for reference and for emergency planning. Civil use needs prior permission, there is no FBO, and no Jet A you can buy. Do not plan it as a fuel stop or a routine alternate.

Open KRCA in JetDesk: live METAR, TAF, winds and runway verdict →

01Runways

Runway	Length × width	Surface	Lighting
13/31	13,497 × 300 ft	concrete	lit

02Density altitude and turboprop runway margins

Standard temperature at 3,276 ft is about 8°C. Every 1,000 ft of density altitude adds roughly 8 percent to a turboprop's takeoff distance and 5 percent to its landing distance. The table uses Piper Meridian book numbers (2,438 ft takeoff and 2,110 ft landing over a 50 ft obstacle at sea level, ISA, max weight) as a reference airplane; heavier turboprops and light jets scale the same way from their own POH figures.

Conditions	Density altitude	Takeoff est.	Landing est.	Landing × 1.5
Standard day (ISA, 8°C)	3,276 ft	3,077 ft	2,456 ft	3,683 ft
Warm day (ISA +10)	4,476 ft	3,311 ft	2,582 ft	3,873 ft
Hot day (ISA +20)	5,676 ft	3,545 ft	2,709 ft	4,063 ft
35°C afternoon	6,462 ft	3,698 ft	2,792 ft	4,188 ft

Planning aid only. Even on a 35°C afternoon the longest runway (13/31, 13,497 ft) covers a Meridian-class turboprop's landing distance with a 50 percent margin (4,188 ft needed). The percentages are a generic rule of thumb applied to one reference airplane, not certified performance data for any specific aircraft, and the runway size categories describe the runway, not your airplane's suitability. Verify with the approved flight manual before every flight.

03Nearby fields with 5,000 ft or more

Listed for reference only: KRCA is not a field to divert to or buy fuel at.

Airport	Distance	Longest runway
KRAP Rapid City Regional Airport	6 nm S	8,701 ft
K49B Sturgis Municipal Airport	20 nm NW	5,100 ft
KCUT Custer County Airport	33 nm SW	5,500 ft
KSPF Black Hills Airport-Clyde Ice Field	35 nm NW	6,401 ft
KECS Mondell Field	55 nm W	5,310 ft

04Fuel and services at KRCA

There is no public FBO fuel to log at KRCA. JetDesk collects Jet A prices that pilots actually paid, at civil fields, and its route finder leaves military and private-use fields out of every ranking. Read what a fuel stop actually saves.

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