Ellsworth Air Force Base
RCA · KRCA · Rapid City, South Dakota · Pennington County · map
Ellsworth Air Force Base is a private airport owned by the U.S. Air Force, 5 miles southwest of Rapid City, South Dakota, 3,276 feet above sea level. Its one runway, 13/31, is 13,497 feet of concrete. It has a control tower.
Private use: permission from the owner is required before landing here.
Weather right now KRCA · observed 4:55 pm MDT (22:55 UTC), 37 minutes ago
VFR good flying weather
- Wind from the north (360°) at 16 knots
- Visibility 10 miles or more
- Temperature 82°F (28°C), dew point 24°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter 29.96 inHg
The forecast issued Tue 3:30 pm MDT (21:30 UTC), good until Wed 7:00 pm MDT (01:00 UTC)
- From Tue 3:00 pm MDT (21:00 UTC): wind from the north at 12 knots, gusting to 20, clear skies
- Changing between Tue 7:00 pm MDT (01:00 UTC) and 8:00 pm MDT (02:00 UTC) to: wind light and variable, clear skies
- Changing between Wed 1:00 pm MDT (19:00 UTC) and 2:00 pm MDT (20:00 UTC) to: wind from the north at 10 knots, gusting to 15, am dust storm, clear skies
The codes as issued (METAR and TAF)
METAR KRCA 062255Z AUTO 36016KT 10SM CLR 28/M04 A2996 RMK AO2 SLP127 T02781042
TAF AMD KRCA 062130Z 0621/0801 35012G20KT 9999 SKC QNH2992INS BECMG 0701/0702 VRB06KT 9999 SKC QNH2998INS BECMG 0719/0720 35010G15KT 9999 SKC QNH3004INS TX29/0622Z TN11/0711Z LAST NO AMDS AFT 0621 NEXT 0711
From the National Weather Service's aviation weather service, refreshed every few minutes; times are local to the airport with UTC in brackets. For a flight, get your briefing from Flight Service or an approved provider.
The airport
- Codes
- FAA RCA · ICAO KRCA
- Kind
- Airport · private use, permission required · owned by the Air Force
- Owner
- U.S. Air Force
- Elevation
- 3,276 feet above sea level
- Pattern altitude
- 4,500 feet above the airport
- Control tower
- A control tower with radar approach control · 1400-0730z++ mon-thu, 1400-0100z++ friday, closed saturday, sunday, global strike comd down days, and holidays.
- Attended
- Monday to Thursday, 2:00 pm to 0730z++; Friday, 2:00 pm to 0100z++
- Lights
- runway lights see the remarks below; beacon sunset to sunrise
- Repairs
- airframe: major repairs; engine: major repairs
- On the chart
- Cheyenne sectional
- Magnetic variation
- 8E
- In the FAA's files since
- November 1938
Runway
For understanding the field, not for navigation.
| Runway | Length × width | Surface | Lights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13/31 | 13,497 × 300 ft | Concrete | High-intensity lights |
- Runway 13: ILS, PAPI, four lights on the left, approach lights with sequenced flashers (ALSF-1)
- Runway 31: ILS, PAPI, four lights on the left, approach lights with sequenced flashers (ALSF-1)
Radio frequencies
| ATIS (recorded airport information) | 120.625 | Ellsworth |
| Ground | 121.8 | Ellsworth |
| Tower | 126.05 | Ellsworth |
| Approach and departure | 119.5 | Ellsworth |
| Emergency | 121.5 | Ellsworth |
| Crawford and center (remote transmitter) Low | 127.95 | Ellsworth |
Aircraft registered in Rapid City from the FAA register
152 aircraft are registered to owners in Rapid City, South Dakota: 98 piston singles, 13 turboprops, 13 gliders, 9 piston twins, 7 helicopters. Not every one of them is based at this airport; the based-aircraft count above is the FAA's figure for this airport alone.
Companies and organisations in town with two or more aircraft:
Individuals are counted, never named. All aircraft registered in South Dakota.
Accidents and incidents at or near this airport NTSB records · 1 since 1982, 0 fatal
Cases the NTSB recorded with this as the nearest airport, newest first. Each opens the full report in plain English.
Nearby within 30 nautical miles
The FAA's remarks as written in the airport file
- Airfield lighting only available during tower hours.
- Pattern altitude: rectangular 4500 feet above sea level, 5000 feet above sea level ovhd, avoid ovft of base proper when crc to landing.
- Closed wknd, holidays and global strike comd (gsc) down days.
- Base operations V675-1052/2861.
- Caution: HI potential for MID-AIR collision exists with aircraft FR Rapid City airport located approximately 6.5 NM southeast of airport.
- Jasu: (AM32A-95) (A/M32A-86)
- Oil: O-132-133-148
- Tran alert: service available 1300-2200Z++ MON-FRI; closed Saturday, Sunday, holidays, and global strike comd down days. Fleet service unavailable.
- From obs point weather technicians unable to see the tdz of both runways.
- Global strike comd rsrs applied to global strike comd only
- Extv general avn and commercial traffic in vicinity of Rapid City airport 6.5 NM southeast of airport.
- Restricted: aircrew should avoid bear butte, defined by the rca 317/25 fix, by flying no lower than 10,000 feet above sea level within 2NM.
Facts from the FAA's airport file effective October 1, 2026, written out in plain English; weather from the National Weather Service's aviation weather service; registered aircraft from the FAA register as of October 5, 2026; accidents from the NTSB's public database. Owners are shown only when they are an organisation; no person is named. Check the official sources before a flight: this page is for understanding an airport, not for planning one.