Nonstop flight route between Wichita Falls, Texas, United States and East London, South Africa:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SPS to ELS:
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- About this route
- SPS Airport Information
- ELS Airport Information
- Facts about SPS
- Facts about ELS
- 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 ELS
- List of Nearest Airports to ELS
- Map of Furthest Airports from ELS
- List of Furthest Airports from ELS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS), Wichita Falls, Texas, United States and East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,380 miles (or 15,096 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 East London 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 East London Airport. 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: | ELS / FAEL |
| Airport Name: | East London Airport |
| Location: | East London, South Africa |
| GPS Coordinates: | 33°2'5"S by 27°49'17"E |
| Area Served: | East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 436 feet (133 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from ELS |
| More Information: | ELS Maps & Info |
Facts about Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS):
- The 3630th Flying Training Wing was activated in 1965, and it assumed the helicopter training program.
- 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 80th FTW mission is to provide combat airpower by producing top quality fighter pilots for the NATO alliance.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Sheppard Air Force Base", another name for SPS is "Sheppard AFB".
- 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.
- 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.
Facts about East London Airport (ELS):
- The closest airport to East London Airport (ELS) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 65 miles (105 kilometers) WSW of ELS.
- Because of East London Airport's relatively low elevation of 436 feet, planes can take off or land at East London 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 furthest airport from East London Airport (ELS) is Kalaupapa Airport (LUP), which is located 11,569 miles (18,618 kilometers) away in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States.
- East London's airport is a small but bustling one that plays an important role in the growing economy of the Eastern Cape.
- East London Airport resides at an elevation of 435 feet above mean sea level.
- In 1965 the airport was again moved, this time to its present site, 9 km west of the city centre.
- East London Airport (ELS) has 2 runways.
