Sheppard Air Force Base facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sheppard Air Force Base
Near Wichita Falls, Texas in the United States of America
Aircraft from the 80th Flying Training Wing and personnel from the 82nd Training Wing at Sheppard AFB.
Sheppard AFB Show map of North America Sheppard AFB Show map of the United States Sheppard AFB Show map of Texas
Coordinates	33°59′20″N 098°29′31″W / 33.98889°N 98.49194°W / 33.98889; -98.49194
Type	US Air Force Base
Site information
Owner	Department of Defense
Operator	US Air Force (USAF)
Controlled by	Air Education and Training Command (AETC)
Condition	Operational
Site history
Built	1941 (1941) (as Sheppard Field)
In use	1941 – present
Garrison information
Current commander	Brigadier General George T.M. Dietrich III
Garrison	82d Training Wing (Host) 80th Flying Training Wing
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: SPS, ICAO: KSPS, FAA LID: SPS, WMO: 723513
Elevation	310.5 metres (1,019 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 15R/33L 3,992.8 metres (13,100 ft) Concrete 15C/33C 3,048.6 metres (10,002 ft) Asphalt & concrete 17/35 2,140 metres (7,021 ft) Asphalt 15L/33R 1,828.8 metres (6,000 ft) Asphalt & concrete

Sheppard Air Force Base (IATA: SPS, ICAO: KSPS, FAA LID: SPS) is a large United States Air Force (USAF) base. It is located about 5 miles (8 km) north of Wichita Falls, in Wichita County, Texas, United States. This base is the biggest and most varied training base in the Air Education and Training Command.

The base is named after John Morris Sheppard, a Texas Senator. He strongly supported military readiness before World War II.

The main unit at Sheppard is the 82d Training Wing (82 TRW). This wing teaches special technical skills to officers, airmen, and civilians. They train people from all parts of the U.S. military, other government agencies, and even people from other countries.

Another important unit is the 80th Flying Training Wing (80 FTW). This wing runs a special program called Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT). It's a unique program where many countries work together to train combat pilots for the USAF and NATO. It is the only program of its kind in the world.

Currently, Brigadier General George T.M. Dietrich III leads the 82d Training Wing. He is also the overall commander of Sheppard AFB. Colonel Brad E. Orgeron leads the 80th Flying Training Wing.

Sheppard AFB shares one runway with the Wichita Falls Municipal Airport. This means both military and civilian planes use it.

History of Sheppard Air Force Base

Sheppard Air Force Base is named after Senator John Morris Sheppard from Texas. He was a key leader in the Senate Military Affairs Committee from 1933 until he passed away in 1941. Senator Sheppard worked hard to prepare the military before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The base started as Sheppard Field on 300 acres (1.2 km²) of land. This land was just south of Kell Field. A Texas businessman named Joseph Sterling Bridwell sold the land to the United States Army for only one dollar.

Sheppard Field officially opened as a United States Army Air Corps training center on October 17, 1941. The first military members arrived on June 14 of that year. As the Army Air Corps became the Army Air Forces, more buildings were finished. The first class of 22 aviation mechanics started training in October and finished in February 1942.

During World War II, Sheppard Field provided basic training for soldiers. It also trained people to fix gliders and to be flight engineers for B-29 Superfortress planes. The base also offered advanced pilot training.

Sheppard Field had its largest number of people, 46,340, from September to November 1945. At that time, it was a center where troops were officially leaving the military after World War II. The base was closed on August 31, 1946. The United States Army Corps of Engineers took control of it in April 1947. For the next two years, the Texas National Guard used the base.

Sheppard as a USAF Training Center

Emblem of the 3630th Pilot Training Wing (ATC)

The Department of the Air Force took over Sheppard Field on August 1, 1948. It reopened on August 15, 1948, as Sheppard AFB. It helped Lackland AFB, Texas, with basic training. Basic training stopped in June 1949 but started again from July 1950 to May 1952.

Over the next 30 years, three training schools were at the base. They taught students about aircraft maintenance, transportation, and communication. They also taught about civil engineering and how to support aircrew members.

The aircraft mechanics school moved to Sheppard in April 1949. This made space for more electronics training at Keesler AFB, Mississippi. During the Korean War (1950–1953), airmen from countries like Greece and Turkey trained as mechanics here.

Sheppard AFB postcard from around 1953

Training for finance, transportation, and intelligence moved to Sheppard in 1954. Training for communications, refrigeration, and power production moved here in 1959.

Helicopter pilot training moved to Sheppard in October 1965. They used H-19, H-43, Bell TH-1F, CH-3C, and HH-3E helicopters for training. They also taught airborne firefighting.

The 3630th Flying Training Wing started in 1965. It took over the helicopter training program. In August 1966, it began training pilots for the West German Air Force. Helicopter training ended in 1971. The U.S. Army then took over training USAF helicopter pilots.

The 3630th Flying Training Wing also trained pilots for the Republic of Vietnam Air Force from 1971 to 1975. This wing became the 80th Flying Training Wing on January 1, 1973.

The 80th Flying Training Wing started the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program in 1981. This unique program includes 13 NATO countries. These are Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In February 1992, the USAF reorganized and made units smaller. Some training wings became groups, and technical training groups became squadrons.

What Happens at Sheppard Today

82d Training Wing

The 82d Training Wing is the main unit at Sheppard Air Force Base. Its job is to provide many different types of training. It is a non-flying wing, meaning it focuses on technical training, not flying. The 982d Training Group (982 TRG) teaches many skills at Sheppard and at over 60 other USAF bases worldwide.

The 82d Mission Support Group (82 MSG) and the 82 Medical Group (82 MDG) help support these training efforts. Together with the 80th Flying Training Wing, they have trained over 7 million U.S. and allied service members.

80th Flying Training Wing

The 80th Flying Training Wing has an important mission: to train NATO pilots to be successful fighter pilots. This wing is home to the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) Program. It is a special organization with people from many countries. The wing commander is from the USAF, and the operations group commander is from the German Air Force.

Officers from all 13 participating nations hold leadership roles in the wing. Nine nations provide instructor pilots. These are Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, Spain, and the United States. Canada, Greece, and Spain do not have student pilots in training, but they do provide one instructor pilot each. The United Kingdom and Portugal can join at any time.

Main entrance sign

The training squadrons that fly planes are:

• 80th Operations Support Squadron "Wizards"
• 88th Fighter Training Squadron "Lucky Devils" (flies T-38C planes)
• 89th Flying Training Squadron "Banshees" (flies T-6A planes)
• 90th Flying Training Squadron "Boxing Bears" (flies T-38C planes)
• 97th Flying Training Squadron "Madcats" (also known as "Devil Cats") – this is an Air Force Reserve Command program for instructor pilots (flies T-6A and T-38C planes)
• 459th Flying Training Squadron "Twin Dragons" (flies T-6A planes)
• 469th Flying Training Squadron "Fighting Bulls" (flies T-38C planes)

Units Based at Sheppard

Here are some of the main flying and non-flying units located at Sheppard Air Force Base.