Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Kelso, Washington, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Southwest Washington Regional Airport (KLS), Kelso, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 561 miles (or 904 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 Southwest Washington Regional Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):

• Later, the 517th Air Transport Wing was redesginated the 1701st Air Transport Wing on 1 June 1948 when Air Transport Command was redesignated the Military Air Transport Service.
• In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
• 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.
• Z-147 was completely replaced by a new ARSR-4 JSS site on Bootlegger Ridge, about 14 miles northeast of Great Falls AFB.
• 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.
• Originally named Great Falls Army Air Base, later Great Falls Air Force Base, the facility was renamed Malmstrom Air Force Base on 1 October 1955 in honor of Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom.
• The 801st Radar Squadron was inactivated on 31 December 1969 due to budget reductions.
• Malmstrom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place in Great Falls, Cascade County, Montana, United States.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Southwest Washington Regional Airport (KLS):

• The airport has one passenger terminal consisting of 12 gates.
• Southwest Washington Regional Airport covers an area of 110 acres at an elevation of 20 feet above mean sea level.
• Southwest Washington Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Kelso, in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States.
• The closest airport to Southwest Washington Regional Airport (KLS) is South Lewis County Airport (TDO), which is located 25 miles (41 kilometers) N of KLS.
• The furthest airport from Southwest Washington Regional Airport (KLS) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,876 miles (17,503 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• There is one flight school located at the airport.
• Southwest Washington Regional Airport (KLS) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Southwest Washington Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 20 feet, planes can take off or land at Southwest Washington Regional 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.