Nonstop flight route between Kärdla, Hiiumaa, Estonia and Great Falls, Montana, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kärdla Airport (KDL), Kärdla, Hiiumaa, Estonia and Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,632 miles (or 7,454 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 Kärdla 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 Kärdla 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 Kärdla Airport (KDL):

• The furthest airport from Kärdla Airport (KDL) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,109 miles (17,877 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Kärdla Airport (KDL) is Kuressaare Airport (URE), which is located 54 miles (87 kilometers) SSW of KDL.
• Because of Kärdla Airport's relatively low elevation of 18 feet, planes can take off or land at Kärdla 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.
• Kärdla Airport is an airport in Estonia.
• In addition to being known as "Kärdla Airport", another name for KDL is "Kärdla lennujaam".
• Kärdla Airport (KDL) currently has only 1 runway.
• On 23 November 2001 an airplane with 17 people on board crashed on its way from Tallinn to Kärdla, near Palade at Hiiumaa.

Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):

• 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.
• 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.
• By 1954, several aircraft control and warning squadrons had been formed at the base.
• On 23 December 1959, the Air Force Ballistic Missile Committee approved the selection of Malmstrom AFB to host the first Minuteman ICBM base.
• Originally named Great Falls Army Air Base, later Great Falls Air Force Base, the facility was renamed Malmstrom Air Force Base on 1 October 1955 in honor of Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom.
• 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.
• In 1959 a SAGE data center was established at Malmstrom.
• Great Falls AAB was assigned to II Bomber Command, Second Air Force.
• DC-20 was initially under the Great Falls Air Defense Sector, established on 1 March 1959.