Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Tampa, Florida, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Peter O. Knight Airport (TPF), Tampa, Florida, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,052 miles (or 3,303 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 Peter O. Knight Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):

• In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
• By 1954, several aircraft control and warning squadrons had been formed at the base.
• The 801st Radar Squadron was inactivated on 31 December 1969 due to budget reductions.
• 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.
• With the phaseout of the B-36 from the inventory in the late 1950s, the need for fighter escorts of SAC bombers was eliminated.
• 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.
• This included one of the greatest technology transfers in the history of the world.
• Z-147 was completely replaced by a new ARSR-4 JSS site on Bootlegger Ridge, about 14 miles northeast of Great Falls AFB.

Facts about Peter O. Knight Airport (TPF):

• The local fixed base operator was recently sold by Tampa Flying Service and is now operated by Atlas Aviation.
• The closest airport to Peter O. Knight Airport (TPF) is MacDill Air Force Base (MCF), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) SW of TPF.
• The furthest airport from Peter O. Knight Airport (TPF) is Shark Bay Airport (MJK), which is located 11,440 miles (18,411 kilometers) away in Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.
• During World War II, the airport was used as an auxiliary fighter landing field for several Army airfields including, Clearwater.
• Peter O. Knight Airport (TPF) has 2 runways.
• The extension of the north/east and south/west ends had been completed in 2008 with no noticeable impact to the local area.
• April 2011 a major redevelopment of the ramp area has completed.
• Because of Peter O. Knight Airport's relatively low elevation of 8 feet, planes can take off or land at Peter O. Knight 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.