Nonstop flight route between Wichita Falls, Texas, United States and Drietabbetje, Suriname:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS), Wichita Falls, Texas, United States and Drietabbetje Airstrip (DRJ), Drietabbetje, Suriname would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,486 miles (or 5,610 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 Drietabbetje Airstrip, 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 Drietabbetje Airstrip. 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):

• During World War II, then-Sheppard Field conducted basic training, and it also trained glider mechanics, technical and flying training instructors and B-29 Superfortress flight engineers.
• In addition to being known as "Sheppard Air Force Base", another name for SPS is "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.
• 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 host unit on Sheppard Air Force Base is the 82nd Training Wing whose mission makes it the most diversified training base within the Air Education and Training Command.
• The 3630th Flying Training Wing was activated in 1965, and it assumed the helicopter training program.

Facts about Drietabbetje Airstrip (DRJ):

• Because of Drietabbetje Airstrip's relatively low elevation of 236 feet, planes can take off or land at Drietabbetje Airstrip 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 Drietabbetje Airstrip (DRJ) is Namrole Airport (NRE), which is nearly antipodal to Drietabbetje Airstrip (meaning Drietabbetje Airstrip is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Namrole Airport), and is located 12,341 miles (19,861 kilometers) away in Buru, Indonesia.
• The closest airport to Drietabbetje Airstrip (DRJ) is Stoelmans Eiland Airstrip (SMZ), which is located 24 miles (38 kilometers) NE of DRJ.