Nonstop flight route between Wichita Falls, Texas, United States and Yamagata, Honshū, Japan:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SPS to GAJ:
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- About this route
- SPS Airport Information
- GAJ Airport Information
- Facts about SPS
- Facts about GAJ
- 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 GAJ
- List of Nearest Airports to GAJ
- Map of Furthest Airports from GAJ
- List of Furthest Airports from GAJ
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS), Wichita Falls, Texas, United States and Yamagata Airport (GAJ), Yamagata, Honshū, Japan would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,173 miles (or 9,935 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 Yamagata 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 Yamagata 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: | GAJ / RJSC |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Yamagata, Honshū, Japan |
GPS Coordinates: | 38°24'42"N by 140°22'15"E |
Area Served: | Yamagata |
Airport Type: | Military/Public |
Elevation: | 345 feet (105 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from GAJ |
More Information: | GAJ Maps & Info |
Facts about Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS):
- Between 1960 and 1966 the Strategic Air Command had training units stationed at the base that conducted aerospace rescue schools and weather instruction.
- 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 80th Flying Training Wing, also at Sheppard, conducts the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program, a multi-nationally manned and managed flying training program chartered to produce combat pilots for both USAF and NATO.
- Comptroller, transportation, and intelligence training moved to Sheppard from Lowry AFB, Colorado, in the fall of 1954.
- 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.
- Sheppard AFB began providing top-notch instruction in a diverse array of Air Force specialties during World War II.
Facts about Yamagata Airport (GAJ):
- Yamagata Airport is a 2nd-class airport in Higashine, Yamagata, Japan.
- Yamagata Airport (GAJ) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Yamagata Airport (GAJ) is Sendai Airport (SDJ), which is located 35 miles (56 kilometers) ESE of GAJ.
- Because of Yamagata Airport's relatively low elevation of 345 feet, planes can take off or land at Yamagata 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.
- In addition to being known as "Yamagata Airport", another name for GAJ is "山形空港".
- During the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, American troops used Yamagata Airport as a base for transporting fuel and materials to the disaster areas.
- The furthest airport from Yamagata Airport (GAJ) is Rio Grande Regional Airport (RIG), which is located 11,606 miles (18,679 kilometers) away in Rio Grande, Brazil.
- The airport has had no scheduled ground transportation services since April 2009 due to depressed passenger numbers.