Nonstop flight route between Wichita Falls, Texas, United States and Salles-La-Source, Aveyron, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS), Wichita Falls, Texas, United States and Rodez–Aveyron Airport (RDZ), Salles-La-Source, Aveyron, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,101 miles (or 8,210 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 Rodez–Aveyron 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 Rodez–Aveyron 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 aircraft mechanics school was transferred to Sheppard from Keesler AFB, Mississippi in April 1949 to make room for expansion of electronic training at that base.
• 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.
• 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.
• Sheppard Air Force Base is named in honor of Senator John Morris Sheppard of Texas, chairman of the Senate Military Affairs Committee from 1933 until his death on 9 April 1941.
• 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.
• 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 Air Force School of Health Care Sciences offered training in dentistry, medicine, nursing, and health-services administration.
• In addition to being known as "Sheppard Air Force Base", another name for SPS is "Sheppard AFB".
• 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.

Facts about Rodez–Aveyron Airport (RDZ):

• The closest airport to Rodez–Aveyron Airport (RDZ) is Aurillac – Tronquières Airport (AUR), which is located 34 miles (55 kilometers) N of RDZ.
• Rodez–Aveyron Airport handled 73,000 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Rodez–Aveyron Airport", another name for RDZ is "Aéroport de Rodez–Aveyron".
• Rodez–Aveyron Airport (RDZ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Rodez–Aveyron Airport (RDZ) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Rodez–Aveyron Airport (meaning Rodez–Aveyron Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,370 miles (19,907 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.