Nonstop flight route between Ruston, Louisiana, United States and Columbus, Mississippi, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ruston Regional Airport (RSN), Ruston, Louisiana, United States and Columbus Air Force Base (CBM), Columbus, Mississippi, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 252 miles (or 406 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 relatively short distance between Ruston Regional Airport and Columbus Air Force Base, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Ruston Regional Airport (RSN):

• Ruston Regional Airport covers an area of 238 acres at an elevation of 311 feet above mean sea level.
• For the 12-month period ending April 17, 2009, the airport had 86,000 general aviation aircraft operations, an average of 235 per day.
• The closest airport to Ruston Regional Airport (RSN) is Monroe Regional Airport (MLU), which is located 32 miles (52 kilometers) E of RSN.
• Because of Ruston Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 311 feet, planes can take off or land at Ruston Regional 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.
• Ruston Regional Airport (RSN) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Ruston Regional Airport (RSN) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 10,911 miles (17,559 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.

Facts about Columbus Air Force Base (CBM):

• 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.
• No one designated or suggested a name for the new base until 22 January 1942.
• 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.
• In 1965 the 454th converted to B-52D, which was re-engineered for conventional bomb missions over Southeast Asia, although some B-52Cs were also assigned during 1968–69.
• 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.
• With the Korean War at an end and pilot production needs dropping, the decision was made to close the contract flying school at Columbus.
• In addition to being known as "Columbus Air Force Base", another name for CBM is "Columbus AFB".
• The base began as a training facility for fighters and bombers.
• 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.