Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Coll, Scotland, United Kingdom:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GFA to COL:
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- About this route
- GFA Airport Information
- COL Airport Information
- Facts about GFA
- Facts about COL
- 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 COL
- List of Nearest Airports to COL
- Map of Furthest Airports from COL
- List of Furthest Airports from COL
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Coll Island Airport (COL), Coll, Scotland, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,044 miles (or 6,508 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 Coll 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 Coll Island Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
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: | COL / |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Coll, Scotland, United Kingdom |
GPS Coordinates: | 56°36'6"N by 6°37'4"W |
Area Served: | Isle of Coll |
Operator/Owner: | Argyll and Bute Council |
Elevation: | 21 feet (6 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from COL |
More Information: | COL Maps & Info |
Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):
- This included one of the greatest technology transfers in the history of the world.
- 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.
- By 1954, several aircraft control and warning squadrons had been formed at 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.
- 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 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.
- Later, the 517th Air Transport Wing was redesginated the 1701st Air Transport Wing on 1 June 1948 when Air Transport Command was redesignated the Military Air Transport Service.
- The base's runway was closed on 31 December 1996 for aircraft operations.
- In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
Facts about Coll Island Airport (COL):
- The closest airport to Coll Island Airport (COL) is Tiree Airport (TRE), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) SW of COL.
- Because of Coll Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 21 feet, planes can take off or land at Coll 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.
- The furthest airport from Coll Island Airport (COL) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,730 miles (18,877 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.
- In addition to being known as "Coll Island Airport", another name for COL is "EGEL".
- Coll Island Airport (COL) currently has only 1 runway.