Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Mineral Wells, Texas, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from GFA to MWL:
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- About this route
- GFA Airport Information
- MWL Airport Information
- Facts about GFA
- Facts about MWL
- 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 MWL
- List of Nearest Airports to MWL
- Map of Furthest Airports from MWL
- List of Furthest Airports from MWL
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Mineral Wells Airport (MWL), Mineral Wells, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,227 miles (or 1,975 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 Mineral Wells Airport, 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: | MWL / KMWL |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Mineral Wells, Texas, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 32°46'54"N by 98°3'37"W |
Area Served: | Mineral Wells, Texas |
Operator/Owner: | City of Mineral Wells |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 974 feet (297 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from MWL |
More Information: | MWL Maps & Info |
Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):
- With the phaseout of the B-36 from the inventory in the late 1950s, the need for fighter escorts of SAC bombers was eliminated.
- 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.
- DC-20 was initially under the Great Falls Air Defense Sector, established on 1 March 1959.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
- 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.
Facts about Mineral Wells Airport (MWL):
- Mineral Wells Airport (MWL) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to Mineral Wells Airport (MWL) is Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base (FWH), which is located 36 miles (58 kilometers) E of MWL.
- In 1975 orders deactivating the base were issued.
- The furthest airport from Mineral Wells Airport (MWL) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,980 miles (17,670 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- In addition to being known as "Mineral Wells Airport", other names for MWL include "(former Wolters Air Force Base)" and "(former Wolters Army Airfield)".
- The Vietnam War increased the need for pilots, and the base became the home for training not just army personnel, but also helicopter pilots for the Marine Corps in 1968 and for the Air Force in 1970.
- In September 1956 the base became the Primary Helicopter Center directed by the United States Army.
- Because of Mineral Wells Airport's relatively low elevation of 974 feet, planes can take off or land at Mineral Wells 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.