Nonstop flight route between Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Liepāja, Latvia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Liepāja International Airport (LPX), Liepāja, Latvia would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,312 miles (or 6,940 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 Liepāja 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 Liepāja 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 Wallops mobile range instrumentation includes telemetry, radar, command and power systems.
• The schedule for sounding rocket launches from WFF is posted on its official Web site.
• 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.
• The closest airport to Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL) is Accomack County Airport (MFV), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) SW of WAL.
• On September 6, 2013, the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer was launched from Wallops, atop a Minotaur V rocket.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Liepāja International Airport (LPX):

• The closest airport to Liepāja International Airport (LPX) is Palanga Airport (PLQ), which is located 38 miles (61 kilometers) S of LPX.
• Liepāja International Airport is 2.7 NM east of Liepāja, 210 km from the capital of Latvia, Riga, and 60 km from the Lithuanian border.
• Because of Liepāja International Airport's relatively low elevation of 16 feet, planes can take off or land at Liepāja 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.
• The furthest airport from Liepāja International Airport (LPX) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,271 miles (18,139 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Liepāja International Airport (LPX) currently has only 1 runway.
• Early during the Cold War, the airfield was a Soviet Anti-Air Defense base.