Nonstop flight route between Edwards, California, United States and Belo sur Tsiribihina, Madagascar:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Edwards Air Force Base (EDW), Edwards, California, United States and Belo sur Tsiribihina Airport (BMD), Belo sur Tsiribihina, Madagascar would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,935 miles (or 17,598 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 Edwards Air Force Base and Belo sur Tsiribihina 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 Edwards Air Force Base and Belo sur Tsiribihina 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 Edwards Air Force Base (EDW):

• With the arrival of the Bell Aircraft P-59 Airacomet jet fighter, the Mojave Desert station was chosen as a secluded site for testing this super-secret airplane.
• Aircraft testing continued at this desert "Army Air Base", then on 8 November 1943, the base title was changed to "Muroc Army Air Field, Muroc".
• The furthest airport from Edwards Air Force Base (EDW) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,414 miles (18,369 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• In December 1949, Muroc was renamed Edwards Air Force Base in honor of Captain Glen Edwards, who was killed a year earlier in the crash of the Northrop YB-49 Flying Wing.
• The P-59s were tested at Muroc from October 1942 through February 1944 without a single accident and, though the aircraft did not prove to be combat worthy, the successful conduct of its test program, combined with the success of the Lockheed XP-80 program which followed it in early 1944, sealed the future destiny of the remote high desert installation.
• A water stop on the Southern Pacific Railroad since 1876, the site was largely unsettled until the early 20th century.
• The closest airport to Edwards Air Force Base (EDW) is Mojave Air and Space Port (MHV), which is located only 19 miles (30 kilometers) NW of EDW.
• The base is next to Rogers Dry Lake, an endorheic desert salt pan whose hard dry lake surface provides a natural extension to Edwards' runways.

Facts about Belo sur Tsiribihina Airport (BMD):

• The furthest airport from Belo sur Tsiribihina Airport (BMD) is Hilo International Airport (ITO), which is located 11,163 miles (17,965 kilometers) away in Hilo, Hawaii, United States.
• The closest airport to Belo sur Tsiribihina Airport (BMD) is Miandrivazo Airport (ZVA), which is located 60 miles (96 kilometers) E of BMD.
• Because of Belo sur Tsiribihina Airport's relatively low elevation of 154 feet, planes can take off or land at Belo sur Tsiribihina 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.