Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Barrow Island, Western Australia, Australia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Barrow Island Airport (BWB), Barrow Island, Western Australia, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,268 miles (or 14,915 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 large distance between Malmstrom Air Force Base and Barrow Island Airport, the route shown on this map most likely appears curved because of this reason.

Try it at home! Get a globe and tightly lay a string between Malmstrom Air Force Base and Barrow Island Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):

• DC-20 was initially under the Great Falls Air Defense Sector, established on 1 March 1959.
• Z-147 was completely replaced by a new ARSR-4 JSS site on Bootlegger Ridge, about 14 miles northeast of Great Falls AFB.
• Upon completion of the B-17 training program, in October 1943, Great Falls Army Air Base was transferred to the Air Transport Command and units from Gore Field were transferred to the base.
• 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.
• Great Falls was reassigned to the Central Air Defense Force at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base in 1953.
• MATS reopened the C-54 Flight Training School as the 1272 Medium Transition Training Unit in May 1950, one month before the Korean War began.
• The 801st Radar Squadron was inactivated on 31 December 1969 due to budget reductions.
• The base's runway was closed on 31 December 1996 for aircraft operations.
• In late 1962 missiles assigned to 341st would play a major role in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".

Facts about Barrow Island Airport (BWB):

• The closest airport to Barrow Island Airport (BWB) is Karratha Airport (KTA), which is located 89 miles (143 kilometers) E of BWB.
• The furthest airport from Barrow Island Airport (BWB) is Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS), which is nearly antipodal to Barrow Island Airport (meaning Barrow Island Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport), and is located 12,270 miles (19,746 kilometers) away in Beef Island (near Tortola), British Virgin Islands.
• Barrow Island Airport (BWB) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Barrow Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 26 feet, planes can take off or land at Barrow Island 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.