Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Kars, Turkey:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Kars Airport (KSY), Kars, Turkey would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,151 miles (or 9,899 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 Kars 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 Kars 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• After World War II ended Great Falls AAB assumed a support mission for military personnel assigned to Alaskan military installations.
• 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 1959 a SAGE data center was established at Malmstrom.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Malmstrom AFB is one of three US Air Force Bases that maintains and operates the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.
• The 801st Radar Squadron was inactivated on 31 December 1969 due to budget reductions.

Facts about Kars Airport (KSY):

• Kars Airport (KSY) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Kars Airport (KSY) is Shirak International Airport (LWN), which is located 41 miles (66 kilometers) ENE of KSY.
• In addition to being known as "Kars Airport", another name for KSY is "Kars Havaalanı".
• In 2006, Kars Airport served 2,352 aircraft and 270,052 passengers.
• Kars Airport has importance for serving also other cities like Ağrı, Ardahan, Artvin and Iğdır in north-eastern Turkey.
• Because of Kars Airport's high elevation of 5,889 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at KSY. Combined with a high temperature, this could make KSY a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The furthest airport from Kars Airport (KSY) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is located 11,224 miles (18,063 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.