Nonstop flight route between Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Varadero, Matanzas Province, Cuba:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL), Wallops Island, Virginia, United States and Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA), Varadero, Matanzas Province, Cuba would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,089 miles (or 1,752 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 relatively short distance between Wallops Flight Facility Airport and Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Wallops Flight Facility Airport (WAL):

• The schedule for sounding rocket launches from WFF is posted on its official Web site.
• 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.
• 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 1959, NASA acquired the former Naval Air Station Chincoteague, and engineering and administrative activities were moved to this location.
• 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.
• 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 Main Base is located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia on the Delmarva Peninsula about 5 miles west of Chincoteague, Virginia.
• On September 6, 2013, the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer was launched from Wallops, atop a Minotaur V rocket.

Facts about Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA):

• There has been 5 significant incidents involving aircraft from or en route to the airport since the 1950s.
• Because of Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport's relatively low elevation of 210 feet, planes can take off or land at Juan Gualberto Gómez 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.
• Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The terminal building has shops for tourists, a large departures lounge cafeterias and a VIP lounge.
• The closest airport to Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA) is Kawama Airport (VRO), which is located only 10 miles (17 kilometers) NE of VRA.
• Juan Gualberto Gomez Airport was built in 1989 and inaugurated by Fidel Castro, thus replacing the old Varadero airport located in Santa Marta, currently known as Kawama Airport.
• In addition to being known as "Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport", another name for VRA is "Aeropuerto Juan Gualberto Gómez".
• The furthest airport from Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,679 miles (18,795 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.