Nonstop flight route between Edwards, California, United States and Copiapó, Atacama Region, Chile:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Edwards Air Force Base (EDW), Edwards, California, United States and Chamonate Airfield (CPO), Copiapó, Atacama Region, Chile would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,299 miles (or 8,528 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 Chamonate Airfield, 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 Chamonate Airfield. 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):

• As a military airbase, civilian access is severely restricted, but is possible with prior coordination and good reason.
• Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation in southern California, located approximately 22 miles northeast of Lancaster.
• 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.
• The first major aerial activity occurred at Muroc in 1937 when the entire Army Air Corps participated in a large-scale maneuver.
• Its curriculum focused on the traditional field of performance testing and the relatively new field of stability and control, which had suddenly assumed critical importance with the dramatic increases in speed offered by the new turbojets.
• 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.
• 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".
• Notable occurrences at Edwards include Chuck Yeager's flight that broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1, test flights of the North American X-15, the first landings of the Space Shuttle, and the 1986 around-the-world flight of the Rutan Voyager.
• On the afternoon of 7 December 1941, the 41st Bombardment Group and the 6th Reconnaissance Squadron moved to Muroc from Davis-Monthan Army Airfield, Arizona with a collection of B-18 Bolos, an A-29 Hudson and B-25 Mitchells.
• At this time, another colorful character in Edwards' history, Pancho Barnes, built her renowned Rancho Oro Verde Fly-Inn Dude Ranch that would be the scene of many parties and celebrations to come.

Facts about Chamonate Airfield (CPO):

• In addition to being known as "Chamonate Airfield", other names for CPO include "Chamonate Airfield (Copiapó)" and "Aeródromo Chamonate".
• The furthest airport from Chamonate Airfield (CPO) is Zhijiang Airport (HJJ), which is nearly antipodal to Chamonate Airfield (meaning Chamonate Airfield is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Zhijiang Airport), and is located 12,425 miles (19,995 kilometers) away in Zhijiang, Hubei, China.
• The closest airport to Chamonate Airfield (CPO) is Chañaral Airport (CNR), which is located 68 miles (109 kilometers) N of CPO.
• Because of Chamonate Airfield's relatively low elevation of 954 feet, planes can take off or land at Chamonate Airfield 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.
• Chamonate Airfield (CPO) currently has only 1 runway.