KRCA / RCA — Ellsworth Air Force Base

MVFR

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.

Current METAR

SPECI KRCA 240804Z AUTO 00000KT 3SM -SN BR SCT001 01/00 A2985 RMK AO2 SLP123 $
Category:
MVFR
Wind:
000° at 0 knots
Visibility:
3SM
Temp/Dew:
1°C / 0°C
Altimeter:
29.85 inHg

TAF Forecast

TAF AMD KRCA 240435Z 2404/2509 34015G25KT 9999 SCT020 BKN070 OVC090 QNH2973INS 
  BECMG 2405/2406 33010G20KT 9000 -RA BKN040 OVC060 QNH2981INS 
  BECMG 2416/2417 19006KT 9999 NSW FEW020 SCT030 OVC045 QNH2988INS 
  BECMG 2420/2421 22006KT 9000 -RA BKN035 OVC055 QNH2983INS 
  BECMG 2503/2504 31003KT 9999 NSW FEW040 BKN055 OVC080 QNH2991INS TX06/2405Z TN00/2412Z

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

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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.