Nonstop flight route between Edwards, California, United States and Hoedspruit, South Africa:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from EDW to HDS:
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- About this route
- EDW Airport Information
- HDS Airport Information
- Facts about EDW
- Facts about HDS
- Map of Nearest Airports to EDW
- List of Nearest Airports to EDW
- Map of Furthest Airports from EDW
- List of Furthest Airports from EDW
- Map of Nearest Airports to HDS
- List of Nearest Airports to HDS
- Map of Furthest Airports from HDS
- List of Furthest Airports from HDS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Edwards Air Force Base (EDW), Edwards, California, United States and Air Force Base Hoedspruit (HDS), Hoedspruit, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,444 miles (or 16,808 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 Air Force Base Hoedspruit, 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 Air Force Base Hoedspruit. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | EDW / KEDW |
Airport Name: | Edwards Air Force Base |
Location: | Edwards, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 34°54'20"N by 117°53'0"W |
Operator/Owner: | United States Air Force |
View all routes: | Routes from EDW |
More Information: | EDW Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | HDS / FAHS |
Airport Name: | Air Force Base Hoedspruit |
Location: | Hoedspruit, South Africa |
GPS Coordinates: | 24°21'16"S by 31°3'1"E |
Operator/Owner: | South African Air Force |
Airport Type: | Military and Civil |
Elevation: | 1742 feet (531 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from HDS |
More Information: | HDS Maps & Info |
Facts about Edwards Air Force Base (EDW):
- In July 1942, Muroc Army Airfield became a separate airfield from March Field and was placed under the jurisdiction of Fourth Air Force.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 X-1, flight testing at Muroc began to assume two distinct identities.
- 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.
- 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 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.
Facts about Air Force Base Hoedspruit (HDS):
- The furthest airport from Air Force Base Hoedspruit (HDS) is Hilo International Airport (ITO), which is located 11,932 miles (19,202 kilometers) away in Hilo, Hawaii, United States.
- The closest airport to Air Force Base Hoedspruit (HDS) is Hendrik Van Eck Airport (PHW), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) NNE of HDS.
- Air Force Base Hoedspruit (HDS) has 2 runways.
- The base is teeming with wildlife, being surrounded by the 25 km² AFB Hoedspruit Game Reserve.
- A civil airport terminal, known as the Eastgage Airport, was established at the southern end of the airfield in the early 1990s.