Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Alton, Illinois, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from GFA to ALN:
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- About this route
- GFA Airport Information
- ALN Airport Information
- Facts about GFA
- Facts about ALN
- Map of Nearest Airports to GFA
- List of Nearest Airports to GFA
- Map of Furthest Airports from GFA
- List of Furthest Airports from GFA
- Map of Nearest Airports to ALN
- List of Nearest Airports to ALN
- Map of Furthest Airports from ALN
- List of Furthest Airports from ALN
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and St. Louis Regional Airport (ALN), Alton, Illinois, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,214 miles (or 1,954 kilometers).
A Great Circle is the shortest distance between 2 points on a sphere. Because most world maps are flat (but the Earth is round), the route of the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth will often appear curved when viewed on a flat map, especially for long distances. If you were to simply draw a straight line on a flat map and measure a very long distance, it would likely be much further than if you were to lay a string between those two points on a globe. Because of the relatively short distance between Malmstrom Air Force Base and St. Louis Regional Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GFA / KGFA |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Great Falls, Montana, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°30'16"N by 111°11'13"W |
View all routes: | Routes from GFA |
More Information: | GFA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | ALN / KALN |
Airport Name: | St. Louis Regional Airport |
Location: | Alton, Illinois, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 38°53'25"N by 90°2'45"W |
Area Served: | Alton, Illinois |
Operator/Owner: | St. Louis Regional |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 544 feet (166 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from ALN |
More Information: | ALN Maps & Info |
Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):
- Following World War II, Great Falls Army Air Base played an important role in US defense during the Cold War era.
- Originally named Great Falls Army Air Base, later Great Falls Air Force Base, the facility was renamed Malmstrom Air Force Base on 1 October 1955 in honor of Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom.
- Great Falls AAB was assigned to II Bomber Command, Second Air Force.
- The furthest airport from Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,495 miles (16,891 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- The closest airport to Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA) is Great Falls International Airport (GTF), which is located only 9 miles (14 kilometers) W of GFA.
- DC-20 was initially under the Great Falls Air Defense Sector, established on 1 March 1959.
- In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
- The 801st Radar Squadron was inactivated on 31 December 1969 due to budget reductions.
- The North American Aerospace Defense Command was created in 1957.
- In November 1942, a survey team evaluated an area near the Green Mill Dance Club and Rainbow Dam Road approximately six miles east of Great Falls.
- In 1957, under the control of the 801st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, the Malmstrom AFB radar station became operational with AN/FPS-20 search and AN/FPS-6 height-finder radars.
Facts about St. Louis Regional Airport (ALN):
- The closest airport to St. Louis Regional Airport (ALN) is Lambert–St. Louis International Airport (STL), which is located only 20 miles (32 kilometers) WSW of ALN.
- Because of St. Louis Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 544 feet, planes can take off or land at St. Louis Regional Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
- In the spring of 2004 the airport was at the center of a scandal.
- The 2,250 acres airfield sits at 544 ft MSL.
- St. Louis Regional Airport (ALN) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from St. Louis Regional Airport (ALN) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,002 miles (17,706 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- West Star Aviation is the largest fixed base operations company at the airport.