Nonstop flight route between Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Larsen Bay, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Larsen Bay Airport (KLN), Larsen Bay, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,656 miles (or 5,883 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 Larsen Bay 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 Larsen Bay 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):

• 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 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.
• 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 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 schedule for sounding rocket launches from WFF is posted on its official Web site.

Facts about Larsen Bay Airport (KLN):

• The closest airport to Larsen Bay Airport (KLN) is Amook Bay Seaplane Base (AOS), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) SE of KLN.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 2,933 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 3,009 enplanements in 2009, and 2,597 in 2010.
• Larsen Bay Airport (KLN) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Larsen Bay Airport", another name for KLN is "2A3".
• The furthest airport from Larsen Bay Airport (KLN) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,810 miles (17,396 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• Because of Larsen Bay Airport's relatively low elevation of 87 feet, planes can take off or land at Larsen Bay 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.