Nonstop flight route between Taupo, New Zealand and Wichita Falls, Texas, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Taupo AirportTe Papa Waka Rererangi o Taupō (TUO), Taupo, New Zealand and Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS), Wichita Falls, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,417 miles (or 11,937 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 Taupo AirportTe Papa Waka Rererangi o Taupō and Sheppard Air Force Base, 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 Taupo AirportTe Papa Waka Rererangi o Taupō and Sheppard Air Force Base. 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 Taupo AirportTe Papa Waka Rererangi o Taupō (TUO):

• Taupo AirportTe Papa Waka Rererangi o Taupō (TUO) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Taupo AirportTe Papa Waka Rererangi o Taupō (TUO) is Ciudad Real Central Airport (CQM), which is nearly antipodal to Taupo AirportTe Papa Waka Rererangi o Taupō (meaning Taupo AirportTe Papa Waka Rererangi o Taupō is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Ciudad Real Central Airport), and is located 12,428 miles (20,001 kilometers) away in Ciudad Real, Spain.
• The closest airport to Taupo AirportTe Papa Waka Rererangi o Taupō (TUO) is Rotorua International Airport (ROT), which is located 45 miles (73 kilometers) NNE of TUO.
• A number of small charter and training operations are also based here along with maintenance providers and a large search and rescue facility.

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.
• The host unit at Sheppard is the 82d Training Wing, which provides specialized technical training, medical, and field training for officers, Airmen, and civilians of all branches of the military, other DoD agencies, and foreign nationals.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Sheppard Air Force Base", another name for SPS is "Sheppard AFB".
• In July 1969, Detachment 1, 2nd Bombardment Wing, with four B-52 aircraft, became a tenant organization at Sheppard and remained until 1975.
• Helicopter pilot training was transferred from Stead AFB, Nevada in October 1965, with H-19, H-43, Bell TH-1F, CH-3C and HH-3E helicopters used for training.
• 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.
• 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 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.