Nonstop flight route between Manta, Manabí, Ecuador and Edwards, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eloy Alfaro International Airport (MEC), Manta, Manabí, Ecuador and Edwards Air Force Base (EDW), Edwards, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,450 miles (or 5,553 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 Eloy Alfaro International Airport and Edwards Air Force Base, 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 Eloy Alfaro International Airport and Edwards Air Force Base. 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 Eloy Alfaro International Airport (MEC):

• On April 14, 2009 U.S.
• Because of Eloy Alfaro International Airport's relatively low elevation of 48 feet, planes can take off or land at Eloy Alfaro 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.
• The furthest airport from Eloy Alfaro International Airport (MEC) is Aek Godang Airport (AEG), which is nearly antipodal to Eloy Alfaro International Airport (meaning Eloy Alfaro International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Aek Godang Airport), and is located 12,405 miles (19,963 kilometers) away in Padang Sidempuan, Indonesia.
• Since prior to his election, President Rafael Correa has stated that he would not renew the agreement that allowed the United States access to the base when it expires in November 2009, and commented that "We can negotiate with the U.S.
• Eloy Alfaro International Airport (MEC) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Eloy Alfaro International Airport (MEC) is Reales Tamarindos Airport (PVO), which is located only 16 miles (25 kilometers) ESE of MEC.

Facts about Edwards Air Force Base (EDW):

• Conscious that March Field was located in an area of increasing growth, and with the need for bombing and gunnery ranges for his units, base and 1st Wing commander Lieutenant Colonel Henry H.
• The base has played a significant role in the development of virtually every aircraft to enter the Air Force inventory since World War II.
• 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.
• 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.
• It is the home of the Air Force Test Center and is the Air Force Materiel Command center of excellence for conducting and supporting research and developmental flight test and evaluation of aerospace systems from concept to combat.
• The success of these programs attracted a new type of research activity to the base in late 1946.
• In the spring of 1942, however, the immense volume of flight test already being conducted at Wright Field, in Ohio, was one of the factors driving a search for a new site where a "Top Secret" airplane could undergo tests.
• 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.