Nonstop flight route between Kirovsk / Apatity, Murmansk Oblast, Russia and Great Falls, Montana, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kirovsk-Apatity Airport Аэропорт Кировск/Апатиты (KVK), Kirovsk / Apatity, Murmansk Oblast, Russia and Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,284 miles (or 6,894 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 Kirovsk-Apatity Airport Аэропорт Кировск/Апатиты 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 Kirovsk-Apatity Airport Аэропорт Кировск/Апатиты 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 Kirovsk-Apatity Airport Аэропорт Кировск/Апатиты (KVK):

• Because of Kirovsk-Apatity Airport Аэропорт Кировск/Апатиты's relatively low elevation of 515 feet, planes can take off or land at Kirovsk-Apatity Airport Аэропорт Кировск/Апатиты 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 Kirovsk-Apatity Airport Аэропорт Кировск/Апатиты (KVK) is Murmansk Airport (MMK), which is located 94 miles (151 kilometers) NNW of KVK.
• The furthest airport from Kirovsk-Apatity Airport Аэропорт Кировск/Апатиты (KVK) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 10,468 miles (16,846 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Kirovsk-Apatity Airport Аэропорт Кировск/Апатиты (KVK) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):

• 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.
• 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.
• Great Falls AAB was assigned to II Bomber Command, Second Air Force.
• Great Falls played a major aerial defense role in North American air defense mission.
• This included one of the greatest technology transfers in the history of the world.
• 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 addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
• DC-20 was initially under the Great Falls Air Defense Sector, established on 1 March 1959.