Nonstop flight route between Wichita Falls, Texas, United States and Banjul, Gambia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS), Wichita Falls, Texas, United States and Banjul International Airport (BJL), Banjul, Gambia would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,245 miles (or 8,441 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 Banjul International Airport, 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 Banjul International Airport. 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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Banjul International Airport (BJL):

• The furthest airport from Banjul International Airport (BJL) is Kirakira Airport (IRA), which is nearly antipodal to Banjul International Airport (meaning Banjul International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Kirakira Airport), and is located 12,214 miles (19,657 kilometers) away in Kirakira, Makira Island, Solomon Islands.
• Banjul International Airport (BJL) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Banjul International Airport (BJL) is Ziguinchor Airport (ZIG), which is located 60 miles (96 kilometers) SSE of BJL.
• List of airports in the Gambia
• In the event of an emergency on any of the NASA Space Shuttles, Banjul International Airport had been selected as an augmented landing site.
• Because of Banjul International Airport's relatively low elevation of 95 feet, planes can take off or land at Banjul International 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.