Nonstop flight route between Edwards, California, United States and Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma):

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Edwards Air Force Base (EDW), Edwards, California, United States and Mandalay International Airport (MDL), Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma) would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,939 miles (or 12,777 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 Mandalay International 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 Mandalay International 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 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.
• 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.
• The initial use for Muroc was IV Bomber Command Operational Unit training.
• The Main Base is also the home of the Benefield Anechoic Facility, an electromagnetic and radio frequency testing building.
• In July 1942, Muroc Army Airfield became a separate airfield from March Field and was placed under the jurisdiction of Fourth Air Force.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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 success of these programs attracted a new type of research activity to the base in late 1946.

Facts about Mandalay International Airport (MDL):

• Mandalay International Airport handled 500,000 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Mandalay International Airport (MDL) is Nyaung U International Airport (NYU), which is located 76 miles (123 kilometers) WSW of MDL.
• Because of Mandalay International Airport's relatively low elevation of 300 feet, planes can take off or land at Mandalay International 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.
• Construction of the airport began in 1996, and the airport was officially opened in September 2000 at a cost of US$150 million.
• Opened on 17 September 2000, the terminal building can handle 1000 passenger arrivals and 1000 passenger departures per hour.
• Due to the reforms in Myanmar, the airport has begun to see increase in traffic especially daily flights to Bangkok and to China.
• Mandalay International Airport (MDL) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Mandalay International Airport", another name for MDL is "မန္တလေး အပြည်ပြည်ဆိုင်ရာ လေဆိပ်".
• The furthest airport from Mandalay International Airport (MDL) is Capitán FAP Renán Elías Olivera International Airport (PIO), which is located 11,685 miles (18,805 kilometers) away in Pisco, Peru.