Nonstop flight route between Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Farnborough, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Farnborough Airport (FAB), Farnborough, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,621 miles (or 5,828 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 Farnborough 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 Farnborough 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):

• Weather measurements and predictions are critical to all Research Airport operations, rocket and balloon launches, and in safely conducting hazardous operations on the ground.
• The schedule for sounding rocket launches from WFF is posted on its official Web site.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• The WFF Research Airport is located on the Main Base.
• The first payload launched into orbit from Wallops Island was Explorer IX, atop a Scout rocket, on February 15, 1961.
• The Wallops Research Range includes ground-based and mobile systems, and a range control center.
• LCT2 is an effort to produce a relatively low-cost transceiver to allow launch vehicles to communicate through NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System after they have gone over the horizon from the launch site.
• In 1959, NASA acquired the former Naval Air Station Chincoteague, and engineering and administrative activities were moved to this location.

Facts about Farnborough Airport (FAB):

• The furthest airport from Farnborough Airport (FAB) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,884 miles (19,125 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• The civil enclave was operated by Farnborough Business Aviation until 2003, when the Ministry of Defence stopped operations at Farnborough.
• Farnborough Airport (FAB) currently has only 1 runway.
• During the Farnborough Airshow on 6 September 1952, a de Havilland Sea Vixen crashed.
• In addition to being known as "Farnborough Airport", another name for FAB is "TAG London Farnborough Airport".
• The closest airport to Farnborough Airport (FAB) is Blackbushe Airport (BBS), which is located only 5 miles (7 kilometers) NW of FAB.
• Because of Farnborough Airport's relatively low elevation of 238 feet, planes can take off or land at Farnborough 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.
• The airport is home to a number of the UK's largest business jet companies, including Gama Aviation Executive Jet Charter and Bookajet.