Nonstop flight route between Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory, Australia and Wichita Falls, Texas, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GTE to SPS:
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- About this route
- GTE Airport Information
- SPS Airport Information
- Facts about GTE
- Facts about SPS
- Map of Nearest Airports to GTE
- List of Nearest Airports to GTE
- Map of Furthest Airports from GTE
- List of Furthest Airports from GTE
- 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 Groote Eylandt Airport (GTE), Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory, Australia and Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS), Wichita Falls, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,751 miles (or 14,084 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 Groote Eylandt 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 Groote Eylandt 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: | GTE / YGTE |
Airport Name: | Groote Eylandt Airport |
Location: | Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory, Australia |
GPS Coordinates: | 13°58'29"S by 136°27'36"E |
Area Served: | Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory, Australia |
Operator/Owner: | Groote Eylandt Mining Co. |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 53 feet (16 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from GTE |
More Information: | GTE 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 Groote Eylandt Airport (GTE):
- Groote Eylandt Airport (GTE) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Groote Eylandt Airport (GTE) is Lake Evella Airport (LEL), which is located 111 miles (179 kilometers) NNW of GTE.
- Because of Groote Eylandt Airport's relatively low elevation of 53 feet, planes can take off or land at Groote Eylandt 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 Groote Eylandt Airport (GTE) is Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport (CAY), which is located 11,564 miles (18,611 kilometers) away in Cayenne, French Guiana.
Facts about Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS):
- Additionally, officers from all 13 participating nations fill subordinate leadership positions throughout the wing.
- In addition to being known as "Sheppard Air Force Base", another name for SPS is "Sheppard AFB".
- 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.
- 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.
- Comptroller, transportation, and intelligence training moved to Sheppard from Lowry AFB, Colorado, in the fall of 1954.
- The Air Force School of Health Care Sciences offered training in dentistry, medicine, nursing, and health-services administration.
- 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.