Nonstop flight route between Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Guangzhou, Guangdong, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN), Guangzhou, Guangdong, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,161 miles (or 13,134 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 Guangzhou Baiyun International 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 Guangzhou Baiyun International 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Major Wallops facilities include FAA-certified runways.
• 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 closest airport to Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL) is Accomack County Airport (MFV), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) SW of WAL.
• In the early years, research at Wallops concentrated on obtaining aerodynamic data at transonic and low supersonic speeds.

Facts about Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN):

• The hub has its own ramp control tower, a first for an international air express cargo company facility in China, which enables FedEx to control aircraft movements on the ground, aircraft parking plans as well as loading and unloading priorities.
• The furthest airport from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) is Gobernador Horacio Guzmán Internacional Airport (JUJ), which is nearly antipodal to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (meaning Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Gobernador Horacio Guzmán Internacional Airport), and is located 12,314 miles (19,818 kilometers) away in San Salvador de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina.
• Construction began in 2006 and the hub was originally scheduled to open on December 26, 2008.
• Because of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport's relatively low elevation of 49 feet, planes can take off or land at Guangzhou Baiyun International 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.
• Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) has 2 runways.
• Once commissioned, the New Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport overcame most of the problems associated with the old and dilapidated airport including limited space, overcrowding and a lack of room for expansion.
• In addition to being known as "Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport", other names for CAN include "广州白云国际机场" and "Guǎngzhōu Báiyún Guójì Jīchǎng".
• The closest airport to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) is Foshan Shadi Airport (FUO), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) SW of CAN.