Nonstop flight route between Eldoret, Kenya and Wallops Island, Virginia, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eldoret International Airport (EDL), Eldoret, Kenya and Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,319 miles (or 11,779 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 Eldoret International Airport and Wallops Flight Facility Airport, 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 Eldoret International Airport and Wallops Flight Facility Airport. 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 Eldoret International Airport (EDL):

• Eldoret International Airport (EDL) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Eldoret International Airport (EDL) is Atuona Airport (AUQ), which is located 11,679 miles (18,795 kilometers) away in Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.
• Because of Eldoret International Airport's high elevation of 7,050 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at EDL. Combined with a high temperature, this could make EDL a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The closest airport to Eldoret International Airport (EDL) is Kimwarer Airport (KRV), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) E of EDL.
• Eldoret Airport, is located in the city of Eldoret, in Uasin Gishu District, Rift Valley Province, in the southwestern part of Kenya, close to the International border with Uganda.
• Eldoret International Airport is a large airport that serves the city of Eldoret and the surrounding communities.

Facts about Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL):

• The Wallops Research Range includes ground-based and mobile systems, and a range control center.
• Because of Wallops Flight Facility Airport's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Wallops Flight Facility 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.
• In 1945, NASA's predecessor agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, established a rocket launch site on Wallops Island under the direction of the Langley Research Center.
• The closest airport to Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL) is Accomack County Airport (MFV), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) SW of WAL.
• Since 2001, engineers at NASA Wallops Flight Facility have been developing new range technologies, systems and approaches to improve the cost and responsiveness of launch and flight test activities, within the constraints of available funding and program schedules.
• The schedule for sounding rocket launches from WFF is posted on its official Web site.
• The first payload launched into orbit from Wallops Island was Explorer IX, atop a Scout rocket, on February 15, 1961.
• The WFF mobile range assets have been used to support rocket launches from locations in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, South America, Africa, Europe, Australia, and at sea.
• The furthest airport from Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,785 miles (18,965 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.