Nonstop flight route between Edwards, California, United States and Northampton / Peterborough, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Edwards Air Force Base (EDW), Edwards, California, United States and Sywell Aerodrome (ORM), Northampton / Peterborough, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,322 miles (or 8,565 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 Sywell Aerodrome, 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 Sywell Aerodrome. 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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 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.

Facts about Sywell Aerodrome (ORM):

• Sywell Aerodrome (ORM) has 4 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Sywell Aerodrome", another name for ORM is "Northampton/Sywell Aerodrome".
• The closest airport to Sywell Aerodrome (ORM) is Milton Keynes Airport (KYN), which is located only 18 miles (30 kilometers) S of ORM.
• In 2009, Sywell was awarded the Best General Aviation Airport 2009 airport member award by the Airport Operators Association.
• Brooklands Flying Club is based at Sywell and flies the Aero AT-3 and Cessna 172 which are used as trainers for Private Pilot Licenses, Joint Aviation Requirements and night rating training.
• Many aerial shots for the film Battle of Britain were taken over the airport and nearby area.
• The furthest airport from Sywell Aerodrome (ORM) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,838 miles (19,051 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• A viewing area is provided for aircraft spotters.
• Because of Sywell Aerodrome's relatively low elevation of 424 feet, planes can take off or land at Sywell Aerodrome 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.
• The organizations STARE and CPRE campaigned against this change, arguing that it would lead to more and larger aircraft flying over the area and disturb its "rural tranquility".
• Sywell Aerodrome is the local aerodrome serving Northampton, Wellingborough, Kettering and Rushden as it is situated midway between these towns.
• An industrial area in the complex accommodates firms, agencies and other commercial businesses.
• The aerodrome opened in 1928 and during the Second World War the aerodrome as RAF Sywell, was used as a training facility and later an important centre for the repair of Wellington bombers and extensive sheds from this time still remain on the site.