edwards air force base

Part of Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC)

Airphoto of Edwards AFB IATA: EDW – ICAO: KEDW – FAA: EDW Summary Airport type Military: Air Force Base Operator United States Air Force Location Edwards, California Built 1933 In use 1948 - present (as AFB) Commander Maj. Gen. David J. Eichhorn Occupants Air Force Flight Test Center Elevation AMSL 2,302 ft / 702 m Coordinates 34°54'20?N 117°53'01?W? / ?34.90556°N 117.88361°W? / 34.90556; -117.88361 Website www.edwards.af.mil Runways Direction Length Surface ft m 04R/22L 15,013 4,576 Concrete 04L/22R 12,000 3,658 Concrete 06/24 8,000 2,438 Concrete Source: official site[1] and FAA[2]

Runway 4R/22L is closed for renovations.

Edwards Air Force Base (IATA: EDW, ICAO: KEDW, FAA LID: EDW) is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County, California in the Antelope Valley. It is six nautical miles (11 km) southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California[2] and 7 miles (11 km) due east of Rosamond. It is named in memory of U.S. Air Force test pilot Glen Edwards, who died at the base while testing the YB-49 Flying Wing. Contents [hide] 1 Overview 2 History 2.1 Major commands 2.2 Base operating units 2.3 Early history 2.4 Post-war flight testing 2.5 On the ground 2.6 Edwards AFB in the space age 2.7 Books and movies 3 Present day Edwards 4 Facilities 4.1 Main base 4.2 Dryden Flight Research Center 4.3 AFRL (Air Force [Rocket] Research Laboratory) test area 4.4 North base 5 Geography 5.1 Environmental concerns 5.2 Nearby bases 6 Demographics 7 Politics 8 See also 9 References 10 External links //

Overview

Designated as the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC), Edwards is home to the 412th Test Wing, the United States Air Force Test Pilot School, and NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. It is currently operated and maintained by the 95th Air Base Wing as a part of the Air Force Material Command. Almost every United States military aircraft since the 1950s has been at least partially tested at Edwards, and it has been the site of many aviation breakthroughs as a result.

The base is strategically situated next to Rogers Dry Lake, an endorheic desert salt pan; its hard playa surface provides a natural extension to Edwards' runways. This large landing area, combined with excellent year-round weather, makes the base a perfect site for flight testing. The lake is a National Historic Landmark.[3]

Notable occurrences at Edwards include Chuck Yeager's famous flight where he broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1, test flights of the North American X-15, the first landings of the Space Shuttle, the 1986 around-the-world flight of the Rutan Voyager, and project MX981, which took place on Muroc Field (former name of Edwards AFB) and may have resulted in the origination of Murphy's Law.

The base is also one of the largest purchasers of renewable energy in the nation, deriving 60 percent of its electricity