Nonstop flight route between Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro International Airport (RBR), Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,339 miles (or 5,374 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 Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro 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 Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro 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):

• 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 Wallops Flight Facility also supports science missions for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and occasionally for foreign governments and commercial organizations.
• 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 1998, the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, later joined by Maryland, built the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops on land leased from NASA.
• The first payload launched into orbit from Wallops Island was Explorer IX, atop a Scout rocket, on February 15, 1961.
• The WFF Research Airport is located on the Main Base.
• 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 closest airport to Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL) is Accomack County Airport (MFV), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) SW of WAL.

Facts about Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro International Airport (RBR):

• The closest airport to Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro International Airport (RBR) is Captain Aníbal Arab Airport (CIJ), which is located 101 miles (162 kilometers) SW of RBR.
• The airport is located 25 km from downtown Rio Branco.
• The furthest airport from Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro International Airport (RBR) is Cam Ranh International Airport (CXR), which is nearly antipodal to Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro International Airport (meaning Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cam Ranh International Airport), and is located 12,192 miles (19,621 kilometers) away in Cam Ranh, Khánh Hòa, Vietnam.
• Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro International Airport (RBR) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airport was opened on November 22, 1999 as a replacement to Presidente Médici International Airport, which was then closed.
• Because of Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro International Airport's relatively low elevation of 633 feet, planes can take off or land at Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro 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.
• In addition to being known as "Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro International Airport", another name for RBR is "Aeroporto Internacional de Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro".
• Rio Branco-Plácido de Castro International Airport handled 382,469 passengers last year.