Nonstop flight route between De Ridder, Louisiana, United States and Mackay, Queensland, Australia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Beauregard Regional AirportDeRidder Army Air Base (DRI), De Ridder, Louisiana, United States and Mackay Airport (MKY), Mackay, Queensland, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,546 miles (or 13,753 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 Mackay 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 Mackay 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):

• 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 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.
• 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.
• Just before Christmas 1941, the first troops arrived at the DeRidder Army Air Base.
• The present Beauregard Regional Airport has a long and colorful history, which began prior to its use as an airfield.
• The airport continues to host military exercises which include parachute jumps by Fort Polk personnel.
• Beauregard Regional AirportDeRidder Army Air Base (DRI) has 2 runways.
• 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.

Facts about Mackay Airport (MKY):

• In 1938, the airport held an airshow featuring ten aircraft, which attracted over 8,000 spectators.
• Mackay Airport handled 1,049,172 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Mackay Airport (MKY) is Great Barrier Reef Airport (HTI), which is located 58 miles (94 kilometers) NNW of MKY.
• Moves to establish an airport at Mackay began in 1927, when Captain Ron Adair selected the site of the town commons for the construction of an aerodrome, and landed the first plane in Mackay there, his own Avro biplane.
• Because of Mackay Airport's relatively low elevation of 19 feet, planes can take off or land at Mackay 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.
• In January 2010, Auckland International Airport Limited, announced plans to purchase almost 25 per cent of North Queensland Airports, operator of the airports at Cairns and Mackay, for about $167 million.
• Mackay Airport had grass landing strips until 1940, when the Commonwealth Government extended the airport's boundaries and upgraded the runways to unsealed gravel for use during World War II.
• In November 2008, Mackay Airport was sold to a private consortium to fund the development of Mackay Hospital.
• Despite the collapse of airlines Ansett Australia and Flight West Airlines in 2001, Mackay Airport has experienced considerable growth in recent years, due to the use of the airport by Virgin Australia and the expansion of QantasLink services, and handles over 620,000 passengers through the terminal per annum but that has slowed and the airport is up for sale.
• Mackay Airport (MKY) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Mackay Airport (MKY) is Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO), which is located 11,973 miles (19,269 kilometers) away in Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão, Cape Verde.