Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Point Lay, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from GFA to PIZ:
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- About this route
- GFA Airport Information
- PIZ Airport Information
- Facts about GFA
- Facts about PIZ
- 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 PIZ
- List of Nearest Airports to PIZ
- Map of Furthest Airports from PIZ
- List of Furthest Airports from PIZ
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Point Lay LRRS Airport (PIZ), Point Lay, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,297 miles (or 3,697 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 Point Lay LRRS 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: | PIZ / PPIZ |
| Airport Name: | Point Lay LRRS Airport |
| Location: | Point Lay, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 69°43'55"N by 163°0'39"W |
| Operator/Owner: | U.S. Government 11 TCW/LGO Elmendorf |
| Airport Type: | Public / Military |
| Elevation: | 25 feet (8 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from PIZ |
| More Information: | PIZ Maps & Info |
Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):
- At Great Falls, P-39 Airacobras, C-47 Skytrains, B-25 Mitchells, and A-20 Havocs aircraft.
- 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 addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
- On 1 July 1968, the F-101B equipped 29th FIS was inactivated and replaced by the F-106 Delta Dart equipped 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which was reassigned from Richards Gebaur AFB when its ADC mission was eliminated.
- Following World War II, Great Falls Army Air Base played an important role in US defense during the Cold War era.
- The 801st Radar Squadron was inactivated on 31 December 1969 due to budget reductions.
- 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.
Facts about Point Lay LRRS Airport (PIZ):
- The closest airport to Point Lay LRRS Airport (PIZ) is Wainwright Airport (AIN), which is located 94 miles (152 kilometers) NE of PIZ.
- Point Lay LRRS Airport (PIZ) currently has only 1 runway.
- The radar station was upgraded in the late 1980s with new radars and in 1989 was re-designated part of the North Warning System as a Long Range Radar Site, A-15, controlled by the Pacific Air Forces 611th Air Support Group, based at Elmendorf AFB.
- The airport was built in 1957 to support the Distant Early Warning Line Radar station at Point Lay.
- The furthest airport from Point Lay LRRS Airport (PIZ) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is located 10,387 miles (16,716 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.
- Because of Point Lay LRRS Airport's relatively low elevation of 25 feet, planes can take off or land at Point Lay LRRS 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.
