Nonstop flight route between Wichita Falls, Texas, United States and Karluk, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS), Wichita Falls, Texas, United States and Karluk Airport (KYK), Karluk, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,032 miles (or 4,880 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 Karluk 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 Karluk 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):

• The 3630th Flying Training Wing also provided undergraduate pilot training for pilots of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force from 1971 to 1975.
• 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 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".
• 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.
• 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 80th FTW mission is to provide combat airpower by producing top quality fighter pilots for the NATO alliance.
• 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.

Facts about Karluk Airport (KYK):

• Because of Karluk Airport's relatively low elevation of 137 feet, planes can take off or land at Karluk 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.
• Karluk Airport resides at elevation of 137 feet above mean sea level.
• The closest airport to Karluk Airport (KYK) is Larsen Bay Airport (KLN), which is located only 18 miles (29 kilometers) E of KYK.
• The furthest airport from Karluk Airport (KYK) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,807 miles (17,393 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 505 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 376 enplanements in 2009, and 397 in 2010.
• Karluk Airport (KYK) currently has only 1 runway.
• Karluk Airport is a state owned, public use airport located one nautical mile east of the central business district of Karluk, a community in the Kodiak Island Borough of the U.S.