Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Thorne Bay, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from GFA to KTB:
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- About this route
- GFA Airport Information
- KTB Airport Information
- Facts about GFA
- Facts about KTB
- 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 KTB
- List of Nearest Airports to KTB
- Map of Furthest Airports from KTB
- List of Furthest Airports from KTB
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Thorne Bay Seaplane Base (KTB), Thorne Bay, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,070 miles (or 1,722 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 Thorne Bay Seaplane Base, 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: | KTB / |
| Airport Name: | Thorne Bay Seaplane Base |
| Location: | Thorne Bay, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 55°41'17"N by 132°32'12"W |
| Area Served: | Thorne Bay, Alaska |
| Operator/Owner: | State of Alaska DOT&PF - Southeast Region |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 0 feet (0 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from KTB |
| More Information: | KTB Maps & Info |
Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (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.
- At Great Falls, P-39 Airacobras, C-47 Skytrains, B-25 Mitchells, and A-20 Havocs aircraft.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Construction of the wing's first launch facility began in March 1961 and was completed in December.
Facts about Thorne Bay Seaplane Base (KTB):
- Thorne Bay Seaplane Base has one seaplane landing area designated NW/SE with a water surface measuring 5,000 by 2,000 feet.
- Because of Thorne Bay Seaplane Base's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Thorne Bay Seaplane Base 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 Thorne Bay Seaplane Base (KTB) is Hollis Clark Bay Seaplane Base (HYL), which is located only 14 miles (23 kilometers) SSW of KTB.
- The furthest airport from Thorne Bay Seaplane Base (KTB) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 10,618 miles (17,088 kilometers) away in Port Alfred, South Africa.
- Thorne Bay Seaplane Base (KTB) currently has only 1 runway.
