Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Columbus, Nebraska, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GFA to OLU:
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- About this route
- GFA Airport Information
- OLU Airport Information
- Facts about GFA
- Facts about OLU
- 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 OLU
- List of Nearest Airports to OLU
- Map of Furthest Airports from OLU
- List of Furthest Airports from OLU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Columbus Municipal Airport (OLU), Columbus, Nebraska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 799 miles (or 1,286 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 Columbus Municipal 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: | OLU / KOLU |
Airport Name: | Columbus Municipal Airport |
Location: | Columbus, Nebraska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 41°26'53"N by 97°20'34"W |
Area Served: | Columbus, Nebraska |
Operator/Owner: | Columbus Airport Authority |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 1447 feet (441 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from OLU |
More Information: | OLU Maps & Info |
Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):
- In 1959 a SAGE data center was established at Malmstrom.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
- 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.
- In 1957, under the control of the 801st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, the Malmstrom AFB radar station became operational with AN/FPS-20 search and AN/FPS-6 height-finder radars.
- 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.
- This included one of the greatest technology transfers in the history of the world.
- On 23 December 1959, the Air Force Ballistic Missile Committee approved the selection of Malmstrom AFB to host the first Minuteman ICBM base.
Facts about Columbus Municipal Airport (OLU):
- The closest airport to Columbus Municipal Airport (OLU) is Norfolk Regional Airport (OFK), which is located 37 miles (60 kilometers) N of OLU.
- The furthest airport from Columbus Municipal Airport (OLU) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,601 miles (17,060 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Columbus Municipal Airport (OLU) has 2 runways.