Nonstop flight route between Tacoma, Washington, United States and Great Falls, Montana, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Tacoma Narrows Airport (TIW), Tacoma, Washington, United States and Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 533 miles (or 857 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 Tacoma Narrows Airport and Malmstrom Air Force Base, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Tacoma Narrows Airport (TIW):

• This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.
• Tacoma Narrows Airport covers an area of 644 acres at an elevation of 294 feet above mean sea level.
• The furthest airport from Tacoma Narrows Airport (TIW) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,797 miles (17,376 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• Because of Tacoma Narrows Airport's relatively low elevation of 294 feet, planes can take off or land at Tacoma Narrows 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.
• The closest airport to Tacoma Narrows Airport (TIW) is McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) SSE of TIW.
• Tacoma Narrows Airport (TIW) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):

• 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.
• In November 1942, a survey team evaluated an area near the Green Mill Dance Club and Rainbow Dam Road approximately six miles east of Great Falls.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
• With the phaseout of the B-36 from the inventory in the late 1950s, the need for fighter escorts of SAC bombers was eliminated.
• Great Falls played a major aerial defense role in North American air defense mission.
• 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.
• MATS reopened the C-54 Flight Training School as the 1272 Medium Transition Training Unit in May 1950, one month before the Korean War began.