Wichita Falls, Texas
Sheppard AFB Crashpad — TDY lodging that feels like home
Looking for a Sheppard AFB crashpad? Wichita Falls hosts the Air Force's largest tech-training base and the NATO fighter-pilot schoolhouse, so the town is always full of students, instructors, and PIT and IFF classes on orders. A furnished crashpad priced inside the government rate beats a chain hotel off Kell Boulevard: real kitchen, real bed, and a DTS-ready receipt.
Mission
82nd Training Wing — the Air Force's largest technical training wing, plus the 80th Flying Training Wing's Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program
Host units
82nd Training Wing (82 TRG, 782 TRG, 982 TRG) · 80th Flying Training Wing (Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training) · 82nd Medical Group · 82nd Mission Support Group
Commute
From most Wichita Falls neighborhoods it's a 10-15 minute drive up I-44 or US-287 to the TX-240 (Sheppard Access Road) exit and the Main Gate; Burkburnett is about 15 minutes down I-44 from the north.
Homes near the gate
Crashpads serving Sheppard AFB
2 fully furnished properties positioned for the Sheppard AFB commute.
Why stay in a crashpad near Sheppard AFB?
Sheppard is where AETC trains crew chiefs, civil engineers, and munitions troops, and where the 80th Flying Training Wing turns lieutenants from the U.S. and 13 partner nations into fighter pilots. More than 60,000 joint trainees cycle through each year and roughly 20,000 people are on base on a normal duty day, so the 650-room Sheppard Inn is largely spoken for by students on class rosters. Permanent-party TDYs, PIT and IFF students, and instructors on short orders regularly end up with a non-availability number and a search for something better than a highway motel. Wichita Falls is a small city with a limited stock of extended-stay hotels, and the good ones fill fast when a big class starts or the Hotter'N Hell Hundred rolls into town in August. A Base Crashpads house gives you a private bedroom, a full kitchen, laundry, and fast Wi-Fi, all priced inside the lodging per diem with the paperwork DTS wants.
Who we host at Sheppard AFB
- Tech-school students and prior-service retrainees in aircraft maintenance, civil engineering, munitions, and AGE courses
- ENJJPT student pilots and instructor-pilot candidates from 14 NATO nations
- Pilot Instructor Training (PIT) and Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals (IFF) students
- Instructors, evaluators, and MTLs on temporary assignment to the 82nd Training Wing
- Contractors, inspection teams, and staff supporting the T-6, T-38, and maintenance training lines
Per diem, DTS, and your wallet
Every Sheppard AFB stay is priced at or below the Wichita Falls government lodging rate. You'll receive itemized, DTS-ready receipts for your travel voucher — for a typical TDY that means zero out-of-pocket lodging cost. Read the full breakdown in our TDY per diem guide, or run your own numbers: the per diem calculator and the on-base lodging calculator use the same rates DTS does. PCSing here instead? Check BAH for Sheppard AFB.
Local intel
Sheppard AFB crashpad FAQs
Can I stay off base at Sheppard AFB on TDY orders?
Yes, if the Sheppard Inn can't take you. Call the Inn at 940-676-4538 first; if it's full you receive a non-availability number and can lodge commercially at the FY2026 standard CONUS rate of $110 lodging plus $68 M&IE. Note that students on a class roster are booked automatically and generally won't be issued a non-availability form.
How far is a Sheppard AFB crashpad from the gate?
Our target neighborhoods sit 10-15 minutes from the Main Gate on TX-240. Wichita Falls traffic is light; the drive is mostly I-44 or US-287 to Sheppard Access Road, and the Main Gate is open 24/7.
Is a crashpad reimbursable in DTS?
Yes. Our rate is set inside the per diem lodging ceiling, you receive an itemized receipt for each stay, and we've processed plenty of vouchers for students and instructors on orders to Sheppard. Book with your non-availability number in hand and upload the receipt like any hotel.
From the blog
Articles about Sheppard AFB
TDY Life · 9 min read
Sheppard AFB Lodging Guide: ENJJPT and Tech School on a Wichita Falls Budget
Sheppard AFB lodging in plain English: the Sheppard Inn, non-availability numbers, the FY2026 $110 CONUS rate, Wichita Falls neighborhoods, and how ENJJPT and tech-school travelers keep the money.
Pipelines · 10 min read
The UPT survival guide
What a year of Undergraduate Pilot Training actually looks like at Columbus, Laughlin, Vance, and Sheppard — and how to set up lodging, per diem, and BAH so you can focus on flying.
Calculators
Plan your Sheppard AFB TDY budget
Mission-ready lodging
TDY to Sheppard AFB? Lock in your lodging.
Send your dates and reason for stay — we'll match you with a furnished crashpad near Sheppard Air Force Base at the government rate.