Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Guangzhou, Guangdong, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN), Guangzhou, Guangdong, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,813 miles (or 10,964 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 Guangzhou Baiyun International 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 Guangzhou Baiyun International 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):

• 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.
• The 801st Radar Squadron was inactivated on 31 December 1969 due to budget reductions.
• Aircraft shipments to the Soviet Union stopped in September 1945, when World War II ended, with approximately 8,000 aircraft having been processed in a 21-month period.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
• On 18 December 1953, Great Falls AFB was transferred from Military Air Transport Service to Strategic Air Command, although MATS units remained at the base for several years.
• 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.
• Tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union increased dramatically when the Soviet Union closed all land travel between the western occupation sectors of Germany and the American, French and British sectors of Berlin.

Facts about Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN):

• Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport", other names for CAN include "广州白云国际机场" and "Guǎngzhōu Báiyún Guójì Jīchǎng".
• The closest airport to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) is Foshan Shadi Airport (FUO), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) SW of CAN.
• Construction began in 2006 and the hub was originally scheduled to open on December 26, 2008.
• Baiyun International Airport is served by the Airport South Station on Line 3 of the Guangzhou Metro.
• The furthest airport from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) is Gobernador Horacio Guzmán Internacional Airport (JUJ), which is nearly antipodal to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (meaning Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Gobernador Horacio Guzmán Internacional Airport), and is located 12,314 miles (19,818 kilometers) away in San Salvador de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina.
• Because of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport's relatively low elevation of 49 feet, planes can take off or land at Guangzhou Baiyun International 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.