Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from GFA to QBC:
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- About this route
- GFA Airport Information
- QBC Airport Information
- Facts about GFA
- Facts about QBC
- 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 QBC
- List of Nearest Airports to QBC
- Map of Furthest Airports from QBC
- List of Furthest Airports from QBC
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Bella Coola Airport (QBC), Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 762 miles (or 1,226 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 Bella Coola 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: | QBC / CYBD |
| Airport Name: | Bella Coola Airport |
| Location: | Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada |
| GPS Coordinates: | 52°23'15"N by 126°35'44"W |
| Operator/Owner: | Central Coast Regional District |
| Airport Type: | Private |
| Elevation: | 117 feet (36 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from QBC |
| More Information: | QBC Maps & Info |
Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):
- Great Falls played a major aerial defense role in North American air defense mission.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
- The base's runway was closed on 31 December 1996 for aircraft operations.
- By 1954, several aircraft control and warning squadrons had been formed at the base.
- 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.
- On 18 December 1953, Great Falls AFB was transferred from Military Air Transport Service to Strategic Air Command, although MATS units remained at the base for several years.
- In November 1942, a survey team evaluated an area near the Green Mill Dance Club and Rainbow Dam Road approximately six miles east of Great Falls.
- 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.
Facts about Bella Coola Airport (QBC):
- Because of Bella Coola Airport's relatively low elevation of 117 feet, planes can take off or land at Bella Coola 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.
- The closest airport to Bella Coola Airport (QBC) is Ocean Falls Water Aerodrome (ZOF), which is located 47 miles (76 kilometers) W of QBC.
- The furthest airport from Bella Coola Airport (QBC) is East London Airport (ELS), which is located 10,592 miles (17,046 kilometers) away in East London, South Africa.
- Bella Coola Airport (QBC) currently has only 1 runway.
