Nonstop flight route between Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Macaé, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Benedito Lacerda Airport (MEA), Macaé, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,705 miles (or 7,572 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 Benedito Lacerda 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 Benedito Lacerda 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.
• The Wallops Visitor Center has a variety of hands-on exhibits and hosts weekly educational activities and programs to enable children to explore and learn about the technologies designed and used by NASA researchers and scientists.
• 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.
• 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 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 closest airport to Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL) is Accomack County Airport (MFV), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) SW of WAL.
• The Wallops Research Range includes ground-based and mobile systems, and a range control center.
• The Wallops mobile range instrumentation includes telemetry, radar, command and power systems.

Facts about Benedito Lacerda Airport (MEA):

• Benedito Lacerda Airport handled 442,983 passengers last year.
• It is operated by Infraero.
• In addition to being known as "Benedito Lacerda Airport", another name for MEA is "Aeroporto Benedito Lacerda".
• The closest airport to Benedito Lacerda Airport (MEA) is Umberto Modiano Airport (BZC), which is located 32 miles (51 kilometers) SSW of MEA.
• Benedito Lacerda Airport (MEA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Benedito Lacerda Airport (MEA) is Central Field (Iwo Jima)Motoyama No. 2Airfield No. 2 (IWO), which is nearly antipodal to Benedito Lacerda Airport (meaning Benedito Lacerda Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Central Field (Iwo Jima)Motoyama No. 2Airfield No. 2), and is located 12,179 miles (19,600 kilometers) away in Iwo Jima, Bonin Islands, Japan.
• The airport was established in the 1960s as an airfield for general aviation and a Flying club.
• Because of Benedito Lacerda Airport's relatively low elevation of 7 feet, planes can take off or land at Benedito Lacerda 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.