Nonstop flight route between Edwards, California, United States and Gelendzhik, Krasnodarskiy, Russia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Edwards Air Force Base (EDW), Edwards, California, United States and Gelendzhik Airport (GDZ), Gelendzhik, Krasnodarskiy, Russia would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,741 miles (or 10,849 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 Gelendzhik 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 Gelendzhik 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):

• The first major aerial activity occurred at Muroc in 1937 when the entire Army Air Corps participated in a large-scale maneuver.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• The base has played a significant role in the development of virtually every aircraft to enter the Air Force inventory since World War II.
• A water stop on the Southern Pacific Railroad since 1876, the site was largely unsettled until the early 20th century.
• 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 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.
• There are a vast array of organizations at Edwards that do not fall under the 412th Test Wing.

Facts about Gelendzhik Airport (GDZ):

• Gelendzhik Airport (GDZ) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Gelendzhik Airport's relatively low elevation of 88 feet, planes can take off or land at Gelendzhik 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 addition to being known as "Gelendzhik Airport", another name for GDZ is "Аэропорт Геленджик".
• The furthest airport from Gelendzhik Airport (GDZ) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is located 10,899 miles (17,540 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.
• The closest airport to Gelendzhik Airport (GDZ) is Anapa Airport (AAQ), which is located 44 miles (71 kilometers) NW of GDZ.