Nonstop flight route between Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Wichita Falls, Texas, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Gütersloh (GUT), Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS), Wichita Falls, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,044 miles (or 8,118 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 RAF Gütersloh 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 RAF Gütersloh 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:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about RAF Gütersloh (GUT):

• Because of RAF Gütersloh's relatively low elevation of 236 feet, planes can take off or land at RAF Gütersloh 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.
• During its history as an RAF station, it was home to two squadrons of the English Electric Lightning F2/F2A - No.
• RAF Gütersloh (GUT) currently has only 1 runway.
• The station was captured by the Americans in April 1945 and designated as "Advanced Landing Ground Y-99".
• The furthest airport from RAF Gütersloh (GUT) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,835 miles (19,046 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to RAF Gütersloh (GUT) is Paderborn Lippstadt Airport (PAD), which is located 25 miles (41 kilometers) SSE of GUT.

Facts about Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS):

• The 3950th Technical Training Wing was designated the Sheppard Technical Training Center 1 January 1959.
• The 3630th Flying Training Wing also provided undergraduate pilot training for pilots of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force from 1971 to 1975.
• 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.
• It was officially opened as an Army Air Corps training center on 17 October 1941, following the arrival of the first military members on 14 June.
• As of September 2013, Brigadier General Scott Kindsvater is the commander of the 82d Training Wing, and he concurrently serves as the installation commander of Sheppard AFB.
• In addition to being known as "Sheppard Air Force Base", another name for SPS is "Sheppard AFB".
• Control and accountability for Sheppard Field was transferred to the Department of the Air Force 1 August 1948 and was reactivated 15 August 1948 to supplement Lackland AFB, Texas, as a basic training center renamed as 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.