Nonstop flight route between Selawik, Alaska, United States and Edwards, California, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from WLK to EDW:
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- About this route
- WLK Airport Information
- EDW Airport Information
- Facts about WLK
- Facts about EDW
- Map of Nearest Airports to WLK
- List of Nearest Airports to WLK
- Map of Furthest Airports from WLK
- List of Furthest Airports from WLK
- Map of Nearest Airports to EDW
- List of Nearest Airports to EDW
- Map of Furthest Airports from EDW
- List of Furthest Airports from EDW
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Selawik Airport (WLK), Selawik, Alaska, United States and Edwards Air Force Base (EDW), Edwards, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,759 miles (or 4,440 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 Selawik 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 Selawik 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:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | WLK / PASK |
| Airport Name: | Selawik Airport |
| Location: | Selawik, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 66°35'59"N by 159°59'8"W |
| Area Served: | Selawik, Alaska |
| Operator/Owner: | Alaska DOT&PF - Northern Region |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 17 feet (5 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from WLK |
| More Information: | WLK Maps & Info |
Arrival 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 |
Facts about Selawik Airport (WLK):
- Because of Selawik Airport's relatively low elevation of 17 feet, planes can take off or land at Selawik 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 closest airport to Selawik Airport (WLK) is Bob Baker Memorial Airport (IAN), which is located 29 miles (46 kilometers) NNW of WLK.
- The furthest airport from Selawik Airport (WLK) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is located 10,219 miles (16,446 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.
- Selawik Airport (WLK) has 2 runways.
Facts about Edwards Air Force Base (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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Previously known as Muroc Air Force Base, Edwards AFB is named in honor of Captain Glen Edwards.
- 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.
- A water stop on the Southern Pacific Railroad since 1876, the site was largely unsettled until the early 20th century.
- The base has played a significant role in the development of virtually every aircraft to enter the Air Force inventory since World War II.
