Nonstop flight route between Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Bengbu, Anhui, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Bengbu Airport (BFU), Bengbu, Anhui, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,477 miles (or 12,033 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 Bengbu 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 Bengbu 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):

• There have been over 16,000 launches from the rocket testing range at Wallops since its founding in 1945 in the quest for information on the flight characteristics of airplanes, launch vehicles, and spacecraft, and to increase the knowledge of the Earth's upper atmosphere and the environment of outer space.
• 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 first payload launched into orbit from Wallops Island was Explorer IX, atop a Scout rocket, on February 15, 1961.
• The closest airport to Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL) is Accomack County Airport (MFV), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) SW of WAL.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• The WFF Research Airport is located on the Main Base.

Facts about Bengbu Airport (BFU):

• The furthest airport from Bengbu Airport (BFU) is Rosario – Islas Malvinas International Airport (ROS), which is nearly antipodal to Bengbu Airport (meaning Bengbu Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Rosario – Islas Malvinas International Airport), and is located 12,327 miles (19,838 kilometers) away in Rosario, Argentina.
• In addition to being known as "Bengbu Airport", other names for BFU include "蚌埠机场" and "Bèngbù Jīchǎng".
• In August 2002, the new airport was opened for military use.
• Bengbu Airport is a dual-use airport in Bengbu, Anhui Province, China.
• The closest airport to Bengbu Airport (BFU) is Hefei Luogang International Airport (HFE), which is located 74 miles (119 kilometers) S of BFU.
• In 1997, land acquisition for the new airport started, and in May 1998, 4030 mu of land near Renheji village in Qinji Township was dedicated for the new airport.