Nonstop flight route between Napakiak, Alaska, United States and Edwards, California, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from WNA to EDW:
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- About this route
- WNA Airport Information
- EDW Airport Information
- Facts about WNA
- Facts about EDW
- Map of Nearest Airports to WNA
- List of Nearest Airports to WNA
- Map of Furthest Airports from WNA
- List of Furthest Airports from WNA
- 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 Napakiak Airport (WNA), Napakiak, Alaska, United States and Edwards Air Force Base (EDW), Edwards, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,630 miles (or 4,233 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 Napakiak 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 Napakiak 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: | WNA / PANA |
| Airport Name: | Napakiak Airport |
| Location: | Napakiak, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 60°41'25"N by 161°58'42"W |
| Area Served: | Napakiak, Alaska |
| Operator/Owner: | State of Alaska DOT&PF - Central Region |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 17 feet (5 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from WNA |
| More Information: | WNA 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 Napakiak Airport (WNA):
- The closest airport to Napakiak Airport (WNA) is Napaskiak Airport (PKA), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) E of WNA.
- Napakiak Airport (WNA) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Napakiak Airport's relatively low elevation of 17 feet, planes can take off or land at Napakiak 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.
- As per Federal Aviation Administration records, Napakiak Airport had 1,840 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, an increase of 0.7% from the 1,828 enplanements in 2007.
- The furthest airport from Napakiak Airport (WNA) is Cape Town International Airport (CPT), which is located 10,590 miles (17,044 kilometers) away in Cape Town, South Africa.
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.
- Aircraft testing continued at this desert "Army Air Base", then on 8 November 1943, the base title was changed to "Muroc Army Air Field, Muroc".
- As a military airbase, civilian access is severely restricted, but is possible with prior coordination and good reason.
- 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.
- 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 X-1, flight testing at Muroc began to assume two distinct identities.
- 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 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.
