Nonstop flight route between Wichita Falls, Texas, United States and Fort Greely, Delta Junction, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SPS to BIG:
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- About this route
- SPS Airport Information
- BIG Airport Information
- Facts about SPS
- Facts about BIG
- Map of Nearest Airports to SPS
- List of Nearest Airports to SPS
- Map of Furthest Airports from SPS
- List of Furthest Airports from SPS
- Map of Nearest Airports to BIG
- List of Nearest Airports to BIG
- Map of Furthest Airports from BIG
- List of Furthest Airports from BIG
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS), Wichita Falls, Texas, United States and Allen Army Airfield (BIG), Fort Greely, Delta Junction, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,865 miles (or 4,611 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 Sheppard Air Force Base and Allen Army Airfield, 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 Sheppard Air Force Base and Allen Army Airfield. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure 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 |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | BIG / PABI |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Fort Greely, Delta Junction, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 63°59'43"N by 145°43'11"W |
| Area Served: | Fort Greely, Alaska |
| Operator/Owner: | United States Army |
| Airport Type: | Public / Military |
| Elevation: | 1291 feet (393 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from BIG |
| More Information: | BIG Maps & Info |
Facts about Sheppard Air Force Base (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.
- 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.
- Sheppard AFB shares one runway with Wichita Falls Municipal Airport under a joint civil-military arrangement.
- In addition to being known as "Sheppard Air Force Base", another name for SPS is "Sheppard AFB".
- Over the next three decades three training schools were stationed at the base training students in aircraft maintenance, transportation, communication, civil engineering, Aircrew Life Support and field training.
- The 3630th Flying Training Wing also provided undergraduate pilot training for pilots of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force from 1971 to 1975.
- 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.
- 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.
Facts about Allen Army Airfield (BIG):
- In addition to being known as "Allen Army Airfield", another name for BIG is "(former Big Delta Army Airfield)".
- The furthest airport from Allen Army Airfield (BIG) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,331 miles (16,625 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
- Allen Army Airfield (BIG) has 3 runways.
- Two runways are lighted and can accommodate heavy cargo aircraft year-round, including the C-141.
- The closest airport to Allen Army Airfield (BIG) is Delta Junction Airport (DJN), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) N of BIG.
