Nonstop flight route between West Lafayette, Indiana, United States and Wichita Falls, Texas, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from LAF to SPS:
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- About this route
- LAF Airport Information
- SPS Airport Information
- Facts about LAF
- Facts about SPS
- Map of Nearest Airports to LAF
- List of Nearest Airports to LAF
- Map of Furthest Airports from LAF
- List of Furthest Airports from LAF
- 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 Purdue University Airport (LAF), West Lafayette, Indiana, United States and Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS), Wichita Falls, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 774 miles (or 1,246 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 Purdue University Airport and Sheppard Air Force Base, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | LAF / KLAF |
| Airport Name: | Purdue University Airport |
| Location: | West Lafayette, Indiana, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 40°24'43"N by 86°56'12"W |
| Area Served: | Lafayette, Indiana |
| Operator/Owner: | Purdue University |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 606 feet (185 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from LAF |
| More Information: | LAF 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 Purdue University Airport (LAF):
- Purdue University Airport also had its own airline, Purdue Airlines in the 1960s and 1970s.
- Purdue University Airport was the first university-owned airport in the United States.
- Hundreds of members of the U.S.
- Because of Purdue University Airport's relatively low elevation of 606 feet, planes can take off or land at Purdue University 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 closest airport to Purdue University Airport (LAF) is Kentland Municipal Airport (KKT), which is located 35 miles (57 kilometers) NW of LAF.
- Runway 10 has a Category 1 ILS approach.
- Purdue University Airport has an FAA-staffed air traffic control tower and is the second busiest tower in Indiana.
- Purdue University Airport is a public-use airport in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States.
- Purdue University Airport (LAF) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Purdue University Airport (LAF) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,148 miles (17,941 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
Facts about Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS):
- The aircraft mechanics school was transferred to Sheppard from Keesler AFB, Mississippi in April 1949 to make room for expansion of electronic training at that base.
- 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.
- The 80th FTW mission is to provide combat airpower by producing top quality fighter pilots for the NATO alliance.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Sheppard Air Force Base", another name for SPS is "Sheppard AFB".
- 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.
- 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.
