Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Kikaiga Shima, Kikai-Shima Island, Japan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Kikai Airport (KKX), Kikaiga Shima, Kikai-Shima Island, Japan would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,971 miles (or 9,609 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 Kikai 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 Kikai 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):

• In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
• Great Falls was reassigned to the Central Air Defense Force at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base in 1953.
• 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.
• Malmstrom Air Force Base traces its beginnings back to 1939 when World War II broke out in Europe.
• On 21 August 1954 the 407th SFW Vice Commander, Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom, died when his T-33 Shooting Star trainer crashed approximately one mile west of the Great Falls Municipal Airport.
• Following World War II, Great Falls Army Air Base played an important role in US defense during the Cold War era.
• 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 Kikai Airport (KKX):

• The furthest airport from Kikai Airport (KKX) is Antônio Correia Pinto de Macedo Airport (LAJ), which is nearly antipodal to Kikai Airport (meaning Kikai Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Antônio Correia Pinto de Macedo Airport), and is located 12,397 miles (19,952 kilometers) away in Lages, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
• In addition to being known as "Kikai Airport", other names for KKX include "Kikai/Kikaigashima Island Airport", "喜界空港" and "Kikai Kūkō".
• Because of Kikai Airport's relatively low elevation of 15 feet, planes can take off or land at Kikai 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 closest airport to Kikai Airport (KKX) is Amami Airport (ASJ), which is located only 15 miles (24 kilometers) WNW of KKX.
• Kikai Airport (KKX) currently has only 1 runway.