Nonstop flight route between Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Port Alexander, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from WAL to PTD:
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- About this route
- WAL Airport Information
- PTD Airport Information
- Facts about WAL
- Facts about PTD
- Map of Nearest Airports to WAL
- List of Nearest Airports to WAL
- Map of Furthest Airports from WAL
- List of Furthest Airports from WAL
- Map of Nearest Airports to PTD
- List of Nearest Airports to PTD
- Map of Furthest Airports from PTD
- List of Furthest Airports from PTD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Port Alexander Seaplane Base (PTD), Port Alexander, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,946 miles (or 4,741 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 Port Alexander Seaplane Base, 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 Port Alexander Seaplane Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | WAL / KWAL |
Airport Name: | Wallops Flight Facility Airport |
Location: | Wallops Island, Virginia, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 37°56'24"N by 75°27'59"W |
Elevation: | 0 feet (0 meters) |
View all routes: | Routes from WAL |
More Information: | WAL Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | PTD / PAAP |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Port Alexander, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 56°14'48"N by 134°38'53"W |
Area Served: | Port Alexander, Alaska |
Operator/Owner: | Alaska DOT&PF - Southeast Region |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 0 feet (0 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from PTD |
More Information: | PTD Maps & Info |
Facts about Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL):
- 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.
- 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.
- On September 6, 2013, the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer was launched from Wallops, atop a Minotaur V rocket.
- The WFF Main Base is located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia on the Delmarva Peninsula about 5 miles west of Chincoteague, Virginia.
- The Wallops Flight Facility also supports science missions for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and occasionally for foreign governments and commercial organizations.
- In the early years, research at Wallops concentrated on obtaining aerodynamic data at transonic and low supersonic speeds.
- 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.
- 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 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 Port Alexander Seaplane Base (PTD):
- The closest airport to Port Alexander Seaplane Base (PTD) is Point Baker Seaplane Base (KPB), which is located 40 miles (64 kilometers) E of PTD.
- In addition to being known as "Port Alexander Seaplane Base", another name for PTD is "AHP".
- Port Alexander Seaplane Base (PTD) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Port Alexander Seaplane Base's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Port Alexander Seaplane Base 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 Port Alexander Seaplane Base (PTD) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 10,640 miles (17,123 kilometers) away in Port Alfred, South Africa.
- Port Alexander Seaplane Base has one seaplane landing area designated N/S which measures 3,000 by 300 feet.