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Ellsworth AFB

Box Elder / Rapid City, South Dakota, United States

This terminal is at Ellsworth Air Force Base, about ten miles east of Rapid City and just outside Box Elder in western South Dakota. Air Mobility Command lists Ellsworth among Non-AMC CONUS Space-A locations. The 28th Bomb Wing, Air Force Global Strike Command, flies B-1B Lancers here. The Secretary of the Air Force selected Ellsworth as the first operational B-21 Raider location and formal training unit. Space-A flights here are on a Black Hills bomber field, not a coastal AMC gateway.

Terminal contact

Address
Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Gate Road, Box Elder, Pennington County, South Dakota, 57719, United States
Commercial
(605) 385-5459
DSN
(312) 675-5459
Sign-up email
28lrs.TMOPAX@us.af.mil

Departing Space-A Flights

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Terminal FAQ

Last verified 27 August 2026. Hours, fees, and presence rules change. Confirm with this terminal’s official page before you travel. Pop’s is unofficial.

Where is the passenger terminal?

Street address and building number: Not published on ellsworth.af.mil (homepage is not a terminal page) or on the live AMC Non-AMC CONUS row.

On base. GPS a generic “Ellsworth AFB” pin is not a terminal pin. No official terminal-map URL. A 2020 Ellsworth Base Guide Phone Directory PDF linked from the homepage is a dated 2020 phone book, not a current map and not used here as current numbers.

How do I get on base / which gate should I use?

No current gate-hours fact sheet was found on ellsworth.af.mil. The AMC directory row does not print gates.

Visitor Control Center (current VCC page, search-indexed 27 Aug 2026): 28th SFS VCC open 6 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday–Friday and 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call (605) 385-2895.

VCC phone conflict: the same site’s Contact Us page lists Visitor Control Center 605-385-1000. Print both; the VCC hours page uses 2895. A 2022 construction article told people with gate-hour questions to call (605) 385-1000.

VCC hours conflict — dated article vs current page: an undated-in-snippet “VCC new hours” news item still lists 6 a.m.–8 p.m. M–F and 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Sat–Sun. Current VCC page wins for the clock (6 a.m.–6 p.m. / 9 a.m.–5 p.m.); flag the news item as stale unless Ellsworth republishes it.

Gates (dated — 22 Aug 2022 B-21 construction article, not a 2026 fact sheet):

  • Liberty (main) Gate — 24/7 in that article (a 2013 “Gates of Ellsworth” feature also described Liberty staffed 24 hours).
  • Patriot (school) Gate — commute windows 6 a.m.–8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday (as of that 22 Aug 2022 change).
  • Bismarck (commercial) Gate — large RVs/trailers that will not fit Liberty/Patriot; 6 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday–Friday and Saturday 6 a.m.–1 p.m. in that article; inbound POV closed at Bismarck in the same change.

Treat 2022 construction hours as dated. Confirm with VCC before you drive. CAC / DoD ID holders use an open vehicle-access gate. Visitors without a pass: process at the VCC during VCC hours. A late-night Liberty show without a pass is a planning problem if VCC is closed.

What are hours, phone, DSN, and email?

Hours: Not published. Homepage-only: if no hours/schedule printed, Not published. Workbook hours were empty. Do not use 2013 SATO news hours as current terminal hours.

Commercial (live AMC directory / workbook): (605) 385-5459

DSN on the AMC directory: (312) 675-5459. Do not publish (312) as a commercial number. Commercial is 605. DSN subscriber 675-5459.

Email (AMC directory / workbook): 28lrs.TMOPAX@us.af.mil

Ellsworth is not on the HQ AMC 40-location Space-A email form.

Do not treat TMO household-goods (605) 385-6597 (2016 TMO articles) as the Space-A line.

How do I sign up for Space-A?

Email 28lrs.TMOPAX@us.af.mil, or call (605) 385-5459.

HQ AMC does not process sign-up. The 40-location form does not list Ellsworth. Print confirmation. If you get no confirmation, use the directory phone — do not assume a walk-up counter is staffed.

How and when do I mark present?

Not published. No counter procedure on ellsworth.af.mil. Remote email is not presence. Call (605) 385-5459 for that mission’s show time. Have documents and bags with you.

When is roll call?

Not published. No roll-call product URL. Call-only / email.

When should duty / PE passengers check in?

Not published as a duty NLT or PE check-in clock. No 30-day PE icon (no AMC terminal page). Call (605) 385-5459.

Does this terminal operate Patriot Express flights? If yes, to where?

Not published as a PE gateway. No 30-day PE board. Treat as mission-dependent organic leftovers if 28 LRS advertises a movement. Do not plan a PE hop from Ellsworth from a blog. This FAQ does not quote live seats.

Where is short-term and long-term parking, max days, and pass rules?

Not published on ellsworth.af.mil or the AMC directory row. No Gram. Do not invent max days.

What lodging is nearby on-base and off-base?

No lodging named on a terminal page (none exists).

On base (Air Force Inns, matching property, checked 27 Aug 2026): Ellsworth AFB lodging, 2349 Risner Dr., Rapid City, South Dakota 57706. Main 605-593-0415; DSN 675-2844 (do not use DSN as commercial); Fax 605-385-2718 / DSN 675-2718. Beginning 1 May 2023, call the property for reservations — not accepting online reservations. TDY travelers: use DTS (AF Inns note). Amenities list includes pet-friendly (still call the desk; AF Inns says do not rely on the web form for pets/children). https://af.dodlodging.net/propertys/Ellsworth-AFB

Off-base: Not listed on an official terminal page. No nightly rates published here.

Is there a USO, food, Wi-Fi, showers, lockers?

Not published. Homepage is not a terminal page. Do not plan showers, lockers, or a snack bar from unofficial directories.

What documents are required?

Space-A: Eligibility under DoDI 4515.13. Bring sign-up proof. Have ID, orders/leave, and passports/visas as required on your person.

What are baggage limits and Space-A/PE fees if published?

Not published on ellsworth.af.mil or the AMC directory row. No PE head tax. Do not copy another terminal’s 70 lb table. Ask 28 LRS for this airframe.

Can I travel with pets from here?

Not published. Do not assume a bomber-wing leftover mission will take a pet. See the AMC Pet Travel page. AF Inns Ellsworth lists pet-friendly rooms: call the desk.

Where are schedules posted?

Not published as a public 72-hour, roll-call, or 30-day URL. No official passenger-terminal Facebook. Installation Facebook (facebook.com/EllsworthAirForceBase/) is PA, not a terminal schedule channel.

Operating model on the live AMC directory: call/email (605) 385-5459 · 28lrs.TMOPAX@us.af.mil. All flights subject to change. This FAQ does not quote live seats.

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Is ellsworth.af.mil the terminal page?

No. Homepage is not a passenger-terminal page. No hours, board, or building on that HTML.

Is 28lrs.TMOPAX TMO household goods or the PAX desk?

Not fully separated on current HTML. Directory email is TMOPAX. A 2016 LRS feature named a Small Air Terminal and Passenger Movement Shop in the same squadron as TMO/HHG. Use (605) 385-5459 / 28lrs.TMOPAX@us.af.mil. Do not call TMO 385-6597 as Space-A.

Is this email on the HQ AMC 40-location form?

No. Directory email may not be on that form — use it directly anyway.

Can I dial (312) 675-5459 from a cell?

No. 312 is not a commercial prefix. Call (605) 385-5459.

VCC (605) 385-2895 or 385-1000?

Both appear on official Ellsworth pages. Hours page 2895; Contact Us 1000. Print both.

VCC until 8 p.m. weekdays?

Current VCC page: 6 a.m.–6 p.m. M–F, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat–Sun. The 8 p.m. / 8 a.m.–4 p.m. news item is not the current VCC page clock.

Use 2013 SATO hours as terminal hours?

No. Not current. Hours remain Not published for the passenger function.

Liberty Gate 24/7 for a 0300 show with no pass?

Liberty was listed 24/7 in 2013 and 2022 official articles. VCC is not 24/7. Visitors still need a pass. Confirm with VCC.

Online lodging reservation?

No. AF Inns: call the property since 1 May 2023; not accepting online reservations.

2020 phone-directory PDF for the PAX number?

Dated 2020. Use the 2026 AMC directory row (605) 385-5459, not the old PDF as a current phone book.

Installation Facebook for tonight’s board?

No. Installation PA is not a terminal schedule channel.

Patriot Express from Ellsworth?

Not published.

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For general Space-A questions, see the Space-A FAQ.