Nonstop flight route between Columbus, Mississippi, United States and Elcho Island, Northern Territory, Australia:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from CBM to ELC:
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- About this route
- CBM Airport Information
- ELC Airport Information
- Facts about CBM
- Facts about ELC
- Map of Nearest Airports to CBM
- List of Nearest Airports to CBM
- Map of Furthest Airports from CBM
- List of Furthest Airports from CBM
- Map of Nearest Airports to ELC
- List of Nearest Airports to ELC
- Map of Furthest Airports from ELC
- List of Furthest Airports from ELC
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Columbus Air Force Base (CBM), Columbus, Mississippi, United States and Elcho Island Airport (ELC), Elcho Island, Northern Territory, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,293 miles (or 14,956 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 Columbus Air Force Base and Elcho Island 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 Columbus Air Force Base and Elcho Island Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | CBM / KCBM |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Columbus, Mississippi, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°38'38"N by 88°26'38"W |
View all routes: | Routes from CBM |
More Information: | CBM Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | ELC / YELD |
Airport Name: | Elcho Island Airport |
Location: | Elcho Island, Northern Territory, Australia |
GPS Coordinates: | 12°1'11"S by 135°34'11"E |
Operator/Owner: | Marthakal Yolngu Airline |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 101 feet (31 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from ELC |
More Information: | ELC Maps & Info |
Facts about Columbus Air Force Base (CBM):
- With the Korean War at an end and pilot production needs dropping, the decision was made to close the contract flying school at Columbus.
- No one designated or suggested a name for the new base until 22 January 1942.
- The furthest airport from Columbus Air Force Base (CBM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,088 miles (17,844 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The base began an active four-year rebuilding program to prepare the base for its new mission and to be part of SAC's base dispersal system.
- As the demand for pilots to support the war in Southeast Asia increased, the number of B-52s based stateside fell because they were needed overseas.
- The closest airport to Columbus Air Force Base (CBM) is Columbus-Lowndes County Airport (UBS), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) SSE of CBM.
- In addition to being known as "Columbus Air Force Base", another name for CBM is "Columbus AFB".
- The first KC-135 Stratotanker, piloted by the wing commander, landed on the new runway on 7 January 1959.
Facts about Elcho Island Airport (ELC):
- Because of Elcho Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 101 feet, planes can take off or land at Elcho Island 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 Elcho Island Airport (ELC) is Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport (CAY), which is located 11,701 miles (18,831 kilometers) away in Cayenne, French Guiana.
- Elcho Island Airport (ELC) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Elcho Island Airport (ELC) is Lake Evella Airport (LEL), which is located 37 miles (59 kilometers) SSE of ELC.