Nonstop flight route between Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Kufra, Libya:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Kufra Airport (AKF), Kufra, Libya would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,654 miles (or 9,100 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 Wallops Flight Facility Airport and Kufra 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 Wallops Flight Facility Airport and Kufra 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 Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL):

• The schedule for sounding rocket launches from WFF is posted on its official Web site.
• The closest airport to Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL) is Accomack County Airport (MFV), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) SW of WAL.
• 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.
• 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.
• Wallops Flight Facility, located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, is operated by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, primarily as a rocket launch site to support science and exploration missions for N.A.S.A.
• On September 6, 2013, the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer was launched from Wallops, atop a Minotaur V rocket.
• The first payload launched into orbit from Wallops Island was Explorer IX, atop a Scout rocket, on February 15, 1961.
• 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 1959, NASA acquired the former Naval Air Station Chincoteague, and engineering and administrative activities were moved to this location.

Facts about Kufra Airport (AKF):

• In July 2013 Libyan Airlines re-launched the Benghasi service that was suspended nine years earlier.
• Kufra Airport began as Buma Airfield, built in the 1930s as a minor facility by the Italians.
• In addition to being known as "Kufra Airport", another name for AKF is "مطار الكفرة".
• Kufra Airport (AKF) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Kufra Airport (AKF) is Sharq Al-Owainat Airport (GSQ), which is located 360 miles (580 kilometers) ESE of AKF.
• The furthest airport from Kufra Airport (AKF) is Mangaia Island Airport (MGS), which is nearly antipodal to Kufra Airport (meaning Kufra Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mangaia Island Airport), and is located 12,261 miles (19,732 kilometers) away in Mangaia Island, Cook Islands.