Nonstop flight route between Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia and Great Falls, Montana, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Hervey Bay Airport (HVB), Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia and Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,755 miles (or 12,480 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 large distance between Hervey Bay Airport and Malmstrom Air Force Base, the route shown on this map most likely appears curved because of this reason.

Try it at home! Get a globe and tightly lay a string between Hervey Bay Airport and Malmstrom Air Force Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Hervey Bay Airport (HVB):

• The new airport, which is located 5 nautical miles southeast of Pialba, opened in mid-2005, after the existing airfield underwent an $11.5 million upgrade which included the construction of a new terminal building and the extension of the existing 1,500 m runway to 2,000 m to accommodate jet services from Virgin Australia.
• The airport resides at an elevation of 60 ft above sea level.
• The closest airport to Hervey Bay Airport (HVB) is Maryborough Airport (MBH), which is located only 17 miles (27 kilometers) SW of HVB.
• Because of Hervey Bay Airport's relatively low elevation of 60 feet, planes can take off or land at Hervey Bay 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.
• Hervey Bay Airport (HVB) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Hervey Bay Airport (HVB) is Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO), which is located 11,861 miles (19,088 kilometers) away in Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão, Cape Verde.

Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):

• 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.
• With the phaseout of the B-36 from the inventory in the late 1950s, the need for fighter escorts of SAC bombers was eliminated.
• Malmstrom Air Force Base traces its beginnings back to 1939 when World War II broke out in Europe.
• In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
• 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.
• The 801st Radar Squadron was inactivated on 31 December 1969 due to budget reductions.
• Aircraft shipments to the Soviet Union stopped in September 1945, when World War II ended, with approximately 8,000 aircraft having been processed in a 21-month period.