Nonstop flight route between Great Falls, Montana, United States and Quepos, Costa Rica:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA), Great Falls, Montana, United States and Quepos La Managua Airport (XQP), Quepos, Costa Rica would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,068 miles (or 4,938 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 Malmstrom Air Force Base and Quepos La Managua Airport, 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 Malmstrom Air Force Base and Quepos La Managua Airport. 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 Malmstrom Air Force Base (GFA):

• With the phaseout of the B-36 from the inventory in the late 1950s, the need for fighter escorts of SAC bombers was eliminated.
• Z-147 was completely replaced by a new ARSR-4 JSS site on Bootlegger Ridge, about 14 miles northeast of Great Falls 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.
• In addition to being known as "Malmstrom Air Force Base", another name for GFA is "Malmstrom AFB".
• Great Falls played a major aerial defense role in North American air defense mission.
• At Great Falls, P-39 Airacobras, C-47 Skytrains, B-25 Mitchells, and A-20 Havocs aircraft.

Facts about Quepos La Managua Airport (XQP):

• Quepos La Managua Airport (XQP) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Quepos La Managua Airport (XQP) is Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ), which is located 36 miles (57 kilometers) N of XQP.
• Because of Quepos La Managua Airport's relatively low elevation of 85 feet, planes can take off or land at Quepos La Managua 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 furthest airport from Quepos La Managua Airport (XQP) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is nearly antipodal to Quepos La Managua Airport (meaning Quepos La Managua Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport), and is located 12,236 miles (19,692 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.