Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Center Island, Washington, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GFA to CWS:
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- About this route
- GFA Airport Information
- CWS Airport Information
- Facts about GFA
- Facts about CWS
- 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 CWS
- List of Nearest Airports to CWS
- Map of Furthest Airports from CWS
- List of Furthest Airports from CWS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Center Island Airport (CWS), Center Island, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 542 miles (or 872 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 Center Island 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: | CWS / |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Center Island, Washington, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 48°29'24"N by 122°49'54"W |
Operator/Owner: | Center Island Association |
Airport Type: | Private |
Elevation: | 115 feet (35 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from CWS |
More Information: | CWS Maps & Info |
Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):
- 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 801st Radar Squadron was inactivated on 31 December 1969 due to budget reductions.
- 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 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".
- 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 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.
Facts about Center Island Airport (CWS):
- Center Island Airport (CWS) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Center Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 115 feet, planes can take off or land at Center 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 Center Island Airport (CWS) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,724 miles (17,259 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- In addition to being known as "Center Island Airport", another name for CWS is "78WA".
- The closest airport to Center Island Airport (CWS) is Fishermans Bay/LPS Seaplane Base (LPS), which is located only 4 miles (7 kilometers) WNW of CWS.