Nonstop flight route between Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Antananarivo, Madagascar:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Ivato International Airport (TNR), Antananarivo, Madagascar would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,786 miles (or 14,140 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 Ivato 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 Ivato 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):

• Early research rockets at Wallops Island
• 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 first payload launched into orbit from Wallops Island was Explorer IX, atop a Scout rocket, on February 15, 1961.
• 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 WFF Research Airport is located on the Main Base.
• 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.
• 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 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.
• The Wallops Research Range includes ground-based and mobile systems, and a range control center.
• Major Wallops facilities include FAA-certified runways.

Facts about Ivato International Airport (TNR):

• Because of Ivato International Airport's high elevation of 4,198 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at TNR. Combined with a high temperature, this could make TNR a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• Ivato International Airport (TNR) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Ivato International Airport (TNR) is Santa Cruz Island Airport (SZN), which is located 11,128 miles (17,908 kilometers) away in Santa Barbara, California, United States.
• Ivato International Airport handled 611,175 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Ivato International Airport", another name for TNR is "Antananarivo-Ivato Airport".
• The closest airport to Ivato International Airport (TNR) is Tsiroanomandidy Airport (WTS), which is located 93 miles (150 kilometers) W of TNR.