Nonstop flight route between Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States and Great Falls, Montana, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SMD to GFA:
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- About this route
- SMD Airport Information
- GFA Airport Information
- Facts about SMD
- Facts about GFA
- Map of Nearest Airports to SMD
- List of Nearest Airports to SMD
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMD
- List of Furthest Airports from SMD
- Map of Nearest Airports to GFA
- List of Nearest Airports to GFA
- Map of Furthest Airports from GFA
- List of Furthest Airports from GFA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Smith Field (SMD), Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States and Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,352 miles (or 2,176 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 Smith Field and Malmstrom Air Force Base, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SMD / KSMD |
| Airport Name: | Smith Field |
| Location: | Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 41°8'35"N by 85°9'10"W |
| Area Served: | Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 835 feet (255 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 4 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SMD |
| More Information: | SMD Maps & Info |
Arrival 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 |
Facts about Smith Field (SMD):
- Smith Field is a public airport five miles north of downtown Fort Wayne, in Allen County, Indiana.
- The federal government’s anticipation of World War II and old Baer Field’s role in the pioneer airmail service brought the U.S.
- The United States government’s pioneering of a national airmail system begun in 1918, provided essential subsidies for America’s fledgling airline industry.
- Because of Smith Field's relatively low elevation of 835 feet, planes can take off or land at Smith Field 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.
- Smith Field (SMD) has 4 runways.
- The furthest airport from Smith Field (SMD) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,224 miles (18,064 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The closest airport to Smith Field (SMD) is Fort Wayne International Airport (FWA), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) S of SMD.
- The War Department signed a $1/year lease for the south side property and invited the community to suggest a name.
Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):
- By 1954, several aircraft control and warning squadrons had been formed at the base.
- This included one of the greatest technology transfers in the history of the world.
- The North American Aerospace Defense Command was created in 1957.
- DC-20 was initially under the Great Falls Air Defense Sector, established on 1 March 1959.
- 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.
- 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.
