Nonstop flight route between Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Monterey, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Monterey Regional Airport (MRY), Monterey, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,525 miles (or 4,064 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 Monterey Regional 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 Monterey Regional 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 first payload launched into orbit from Wallops Island was Explorer IX, atop a Scout rocket, on February 15, 1961.
• The Wallops mobile range instrumentation includes telemetry, radar, command and power systems.
• 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 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.
• AFSS is a project to develop an autonomous on-board system that could augment or replace traditional ground-commanded Range Safety flight termination systems.
• 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 Monterey Regional Airport (MRY):

• The furthest airport from Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,400 miles (18,346 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• Because of Monterey Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 257 feet, planes can take off or land at Monterey Regional 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.
• On August 23, 1984 at about 8:51 pm a Cessna 320C departed from Monterey under Special Visual Flight Rules with a 58-year-old pilot and four passengers.
• On October 12, 1997 at about 5:28 pm a Rutan Long-EZ being flown by John Denver crashed into Monterey Bay near Pacific Grove, California.
• Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) has 2 runways.
• On July 26, 1979 at about 9:43 pm a Cessna 320A crashed during its final approach to Monterey.
• On June 24, 1992 a Cessna 421B, the 40-year-old pilot and two passengers took off from Monterey.
• The closest airport to Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) is Salinas Municipal AirportSalinas Army Air Base (SNS), which is located only 14 miles (23 kilometers) ENE of MRY.