Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Alexandria, Louisiana, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from GFA to ESF:
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- About this route
- GFA Airport Information
- ESF Airport Information
- Facts about GFA
- Facts about ESF
- 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 ESF
- List of Nearest Airports to ESF
- Map of Furthest Airports from ESF
- List of Furthest Airports from ESF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Esler Field (ESF), Alexandria, Louisiana, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,494 miles (or 2,404 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 Esler Field, 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: | ESF / KESF |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Alexandria, Louisiana, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 31°23'41"N by 92°17'44"W |
| Area Served: | Central Louisiana |
| Airport Type: | Public / Military |
| Elevation: | 112 feet (34 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from ESF |
| More Information: | ESF Maps & Info |
Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):
- The 801st Radar Squadron was inactivated on 31 December 1969 due to budget reductions.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
- The North American Aerospace Defense Command was created in 1957.
- Following World War II, Great Falls Army Air Base played an important role in US defense during the Cold War era.
- Malmstrom AFB is one of three US Air Force Bases that maintains and operates the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.
Facts about Esler Field (ESF):
- The furthest airport from Esler Field (ESF) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 10,988 miles (17,683 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
- This airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation airport.
- Esler Field (ESF) has 2 runways.
- Construction of the airport, originally called Camp Beauregard Army Field, for the United States Army Air Corps began in 1940.
- With the departure of the 372d, the 353d Army Air Force Base Unit took over training for replacement pilots, and unit training ended.
- About 60 percent of the airport's operations are military and the rest are civilian.
- The closest airport to Esler Field (ESF) is Alexandria International Airport (AEX), which is located only 16 miles (25 kilometers) WSW of ESF.
- In addition to being known as "Esler Field", another name for ESF is "Esler Regional AirportEsler Army Airfield".
- Because of Esler Field's relatively low elevation of 112 feet, planes can take off or land at Esler Field 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.
- In December 1942, the mission was changed to training Reconnaissance units, and Esler was reassigned directly to Third Air Force.
