KRCA / RCA — Ellsworth Air Force Base

LIFR

Medium Regional Airport • Rapid City, SD, United States

Elevation: 3,276 ft (999 m) • 44.1450, -103.1040

Ellsworth Air Force Base (KRCA / RCA) is a medium regional airport serving Rapid City, SD, United States, situated at an elevation of 3,276 ft (999 m) above sea level. Local magnetic variation is 6.9° East. The airport has 2 runways, with the longest measuring 13,497 feet.

Aviation Visualizations

FLIGHT CATEGORY

LIFRFlight CategoryVis <1SM or Ceiling <500ft

WIND COMPASS

NESW8ktMagVar +6.9

CLOUD PROFILE

SFC3k6k9k12kOvercast 100ftCloud Profile

Current METAR

SPECI KRCA 210714Z AUTO 13008KT 5/8SM R31/2000VP6000FT -DZ BR OVC001 15/14 A2979 RMK AO2 VIS 5/8V5 RAE0655RAB09E10DZB10 CIG 001V003 SLP072
Category:
LIFR
Wind:
130° at 8 knots
Visibility:
5/8SM
Temp/Dew:
15°C / 14°C
Altimeter:
29.79 inHg
No TAF available for KRCA.

Runways

Designator Length Width Surface Heading
13 13,497 ft 300 ft Concrete 138°
31 13,497 ft 300 ft Concrete 318°

Nearby Airports

KRAP
Rapid City Regional Airport
Rapid City • 12 km
KCUT
Custer County Airport
Custer • 62 km
KSPF
Black Hills Airport-Clyde Ice Field
Spearfish • 66 km
KEFC
Belle Fourche Municipal Airport
Belle Fourche • 89 km
KHSR
Hot Springs Municipal Airport
Hot Springs • 90 km
KECS
Mondell Field
Newcastle • 101 km
KPHP
Philip Airport
Philip • 121 km
KIEN
Pine Ridge Airport
Pine Ridge • 134 km

Official Aviation Resources

FAA
Regulations & ATC info
1800wxBrief
Free preflight briefing
Aviation Weather Center
Forecasts & PIREPs
OurAirports
Charts, frequencies & data

Understanding Aviation Weather

METAR (Meteorological Aerodrome Report) is the standard format for reporting current weather conditions at airports worldwide. Issued every 30–60 minutes, it includes wind direction and speed, visibility, sky condition and cloud heights, temperature, dewpoint, and altimeter setting. Special METARs (SPECI) are issued when conditions change significantly.

TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast) provides a weather forecast for the area within 5 nautical miles of an airport, valid for 24–30 hours. Issued every 6 hours by national weather services, TAFs use FM (from), TEMPO (temporary), BECMG (becoming), and PROB (probability) groups to describe changing conditions.

Flight Categories: VFR ceiling >3,000 ft & vis >5 SM   MVFR 1,000–3,000 ft or 3–5 SM   IFR 500–1,000 ft or 1–3 SM   LIFR <500 ft or <1 SM

Disclaimer: Weather data is sourced from official aviation weather services and may be delayed. Always verify conditions through official channels before flight. For informational purposes only.