Nonstop flight route between Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States and Wichita Falls, Texas, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from AIN to SPS:
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- About this route
- AIN Airport Information
- SPS Airport Information
- Facts about AIN
- Facts about SPS
- Map of Nearest Airports to AIN
- List of Nearest Airports to AIN
- Map of Furthest Airports from AIN
- List of Furthest Airports from AIN
- Map of Nearest Airports to SPS
- List of Nearest Airports to SPS
- Map of Furthest Airports from SPS
- List of Furthest Airports from SPS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Wainwright Airport (AIN), Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States and Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS), Wichita Falls, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,372 miles (or 5,427 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 Wainwright Airport and Sheppard Air Force 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 Wainwright Airport and Sheppard Air Force Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | AIN / PAWI |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 70°38'17"N by 159°59'40"W |
Area Served: | Wainwright, Alaska |
Operator/Owner: | North Slope Borough |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 45 feet (14 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from AIN |
More Information: | AIN Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SPS / KSPS |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Wichita Falls, Texas, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°59'20"N by 98°29'30"W |
View all routes: | Routes from SPS |
More Information: | SPS Maps & Info |
Facts about Wainwright Airport (AIN):
- Because of Wainwright Airport's relatively low elevation of 45 feet, planes can take off or land at Wainwright 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 furthest airport from Wainwright Airport (AIN) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is located 10,348 miles (16,654 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.
- Wainwright Airport is a public use airport located in Wainwright, a city in the North Slope Borough of the U.S.
- As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 3,547 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 3,770 enplanements in 2009, and 4,129 in 2010.
- Wainwright Airport (AIN) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "Wainwright Airport", another name for AIN is "AWI".
- Wainwright Airport resides at elevation of 45 feet above mean sea level.
- The closest airport to Wainwright Airport (AIN) is Atqasuk Edward Burnell Sr. Memorial Airport (ATK), which is located 60 miles (97 kilometers) E of AIN.
Facts about Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS):
- In addition to being known as "Sheppard Air Force Base", another name for SPS is "Sheppard AFB".
- Sheppard Air Force Base is named in honor of Senator John Morris Sheppard of Texas, chairman of the Senate Military Affairs Committee from 1933 until his death on 9 April 1941.
- Sheppard Field reached its peak strength of 46,340 people while serving as a separation center for troops being discharged following World War II from September through November 1945.
- The closest airport to Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS) is Kickapoo Downtown Airport (KIP), which is located only 9 miles (14 kilometers) S of SPS.
- The furthest airport from Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,952 miles (17,626 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- Helicopter pilot training was transferred from Stead AFB, Nevada in October 1965, with H-19, H-43, Bell TH-1F, CH-3C and HH-3E helicopters used for training.
- Between 1960 and 1966 the Strategic Air Command had training units stationed at the base that conducted aerospace rescue schools and weather instruction.
- Sheppard AFB shares one runway with Wichita Falls Municipal Airport under a joint civil-military arrangement.