Nonstop flight route between De Ridder, Louisiana, United States and Melbourne, Victoria, Australia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Beauregard Regional AirportDeRidder Army Air Base (DRI), De Ridder, Louisiana, United States and Essendon Airport (MEB), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,131 miles (or 14,694 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 Beauregard Regional AirportDeRidder Army Air Base and Essendon 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 Beauregard Regional AirportDeRidder Army Air Base and Essendon 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 Beauregard Regional AirportDeRidder Army Air Base (DRI):

• Initial training was performed by the III Reconnaissance Command, for reconnaissance and observation units.
• The Beauregard Parish Police Jury bought the previously leased 160 acres plus an additional 280 acres for $11,000.
• The sawmill had been built along the Santa Fe Railroad tracks with the planer mill on one side of the tracks and the big mill, commissary, and office on the other side of the tracks.
• The Beauregard Parish Police Jury assumed responsibility for the airport that year.
• In late 1942, the airfield was reassigned to III Tactical Air Command which performed medium and light bomber tactical bomber training.
• The closest airport to Beauregard Regional AirportDeRidder Army Air Base (DRI) is Chennault International Airport (CWF), which is located 44 miles (72 kilometers) SSE of DRI.
• The present Beauregard Regional Airport has a long and colorful history, which began prior to its use as an airfield.
• Because of Beauregard Regional AirportDeRidder Army Air Base's relatively low elevation of 202 feet, planes can take off or land at Beauregard Regional AirportDeRidder Army Air Base 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 Beauregard Regional AirportDeRidder Army Air Base (DRI) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 10,994 miles (17,693 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• Just before Christmas 1941, the first troops arrived at the DeRidder Army Air Base.
• Beauregard Regional AirportDeRidder Army Air Base (DRI) has 2 runways.
• Interest in the military utilization of the airfield increased significantly in 1939 when war began in Europe.

Facts about Essendon Airport (MEB):

• Originally the airport had grass runways with the first tenants moving in from December 1921, including H.J.
• The closest airport to Essendon Airport (MEB) is Melbourne Airport (MEL), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) NW of MEB.
• Because of Essendon Airport's relatively low elevation of 282 feet, planes can take off or land at Essendon 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 area of the airport was originally known as St Johns, after an early landowner.
• The furthest airport from Essendon Airport (MEB) is Flores Airport (FLW), which is nearly antipodal to Essendon Airport (meaning Essendon Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Flores Airport), and is located 12,192 miles (19,620 kilometers) away in Flores Island, Azores, Portugal.
• The airport was extended with additional land during the 1930s.
• In addition to being known as "Essendon Airport", another name for MEB is "Melbourne/Essendon".
• On 31 January 1945, a heavily-modified Stinson Model A registered VH-UYY and named Tokana, operated by Australian National Airways, departed from Essendon Airport for the daily flight to Kerang.
• In 2001, the Commonwealth Government sold its management rights for the airport to Edgelear Pty.
• Essendon Airport (MEB) has 2 runways.
• The major passenger airlines using Essendon in the postwar years until scheduled air services were transferred to Tullamarine were Ansett Airlines and Trans Australia Airlines.