Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Dirranbandi, Queensland, Australia:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GFA to DRN:
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- About this route
- GFA Airport Information
- DRN Airport Information
- Facts about GFA
- Facts about DRN
- 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 DRN
- List of Nearest Airports to DRN
- Map of Furthest Airports from DRN
- List of Furthest Airports from DRN
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Dirranbandi Airport (DRN), Dirranbandi, Queensland, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,119 miles (or 13,067 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 Dirranbandi 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 Dirranbandi 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: |
|
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: | DRN / YDBI |
Airport Name: | Dirranbandi Airport |
Location: | Dirranbandi, Queensland, Australia |
GPS Coordinates: | 28°35'30"S by 148°13'0"E |
Area Served: | Dirranbandi, Queensland, Australia |
Operator/Owner: | Balonne Shire Council |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 567 feet (173 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from DRN |
More Information: | DRN Maps & Info |
Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):
- Great Falls became the temporary home of the 582nd Air Resupply and Communications Wing on 1 May 1953 which was transferred from Mountain Home AFB, Idaho.
- 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.
- Following World War II, Great Falls Army Air Base played an important role in US defense during the Cold War era.
- DC-20 was initially under the Great Falls Air Defense Sector, established on 1 March 1959.
- 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".
- 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.
- This included one of the greatest technology transfers in the history of the world.
Facts about Dirranbandi Airport (DRN):
- Because of Dirranbandi Airport's relatively low elevation of 567 feet, planes can take off or land at Dirranbandi 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.
- Dirranbandi Airport (DRN) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Dirranbandi Airport (DRN) is Lightning Ridge Airport (LHG), which is located 61 miles (99 kilometers) SSW of DRN.
- The furthest airport from Dirranbandi Airport (DRN) is Santa Maria Airport (SMA), which is located 11,742 miles (18,897 kilometers) away in Santa Maria, Portugal.