Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Friedrichshafen, Bodensee, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Friedrichshafen Airport (FDH), Friedrichshafen, Bodensee, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,959 miles (or 7,980 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 Friedrichshafen 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 Friedrichshafen 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):

• After World War II ended Great Falls AAB assumed a support mission for military personnel assigned to Alaskan military installations.
• 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.
• 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.
• Great Falls played a major aerial defense role in North American air defense mission.
• 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.
• Malmstrom Air Force Base traces its beginnings back to 1939 when World War II broke out in Europe.
• 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".
• In 1957, under the control of the 801st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, the Malmstrom AFB radar station became operational with AN/FPS-20 search and AN/FPS-6 height-finder radars.
• Malmstrom AFB is one of three US Air Force Bases that maintains and operates the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.
• With the phaseout of the B-36 from the inventory in the late 1950s, the need for fighter escorts of SAC bombers was eliminated.

Facts about Friedrichshafen Airport (FDH):

• Friedrichshafen Airport (FDH) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Friedrichshafen Airport", another name for FDH is "Flughafen Friedrichshafen".
• Friedrichshafen Airport has its own small railway station named Friedrichshafen Flughafen directly across from the terminal building.
• This airport has had a long history.
• The furthest airport from Friedrichshafen Airport (FDH) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Friedrichshafen Airport (meaning Friedrichshafen Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,045 miles (19,384 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Friedrichshafen Airport (FDH) is St. Gallen–Altenrhein Airport (ACH), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) S of FDH.
• Right next to the terminal there is a museum dedicated to the former German aircraft manufacturer Dornier Flugzeugwerke.
• The airport consists of one passenger terminal building that features eight departure gates as well as some shops and restaurants.