Nonstop flight route between Kenema, Sierra Leone and Columbus, Mississippi, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kenema Airport (KEN), Kenema, Sierra Leone and Columbus Air Force Base (CBM), Columbus, Mississippi, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,186 miles (or 8,346 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 Kenema Airport and Columbus Air Force Base, 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 Kenema Airport and Columbus Air Force Base. 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 Kenema Airport (KEN):

• Because of Kenema Airport's relatively low elevation of 485 feet, planes can take off or land at Kenema 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 Kenema Airport (KEN) is Mota Lava Airport (MTV), which is nearly antipodal to Kenema Airport (meaning Kenema Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mota Lava Airport), and is located 12,031 miles (19,362 kilometers) away in Mota Lava, Vanuatu.
• The closest airport to Kenema Airport (KEN) is Bo Airport (KBS), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) W of KEN.
• Kenema Airport (KEN) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Columbus Air Force Base (CBM):

• No one designated or suggested a name for the new base until 22 January 1942.
• Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi is home of the 14th Flying Training Wing of the Air Education and Training Command.
• When the war ended in 1945, the base strength had reached a peak of 2,300 enlisted men, 300 officers, and an average of 250 pilot cadets per class.
• 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.
• 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.
• But while the Air Force’s pilot training requirements were decreasing, its strategic air arm was expanding.During the 1950s, Strategic Air Command wings had become extremely large.
• In addition to being known as "Columbus Air Force Base", another name for CBM is "Columbus AFB".
• In preparation for this transfer, Air Training Command had activated the 3650th Pilot Training Wing at Columbus on 15 February.