Sheppard AFB Questions

[ghost_ttu]

Ok, I did a search first, and no luck. Anyone at Sheppard give me the dimensions of the dorms? If you have pictures of the dorm that would be nice.

TMO told me they are going to keep most of my stuff here, and send only what I want access to (ie, can store in my room) to Sheppard. So I'm wanting to see if I have room for my entertainment center, and what else I might have room for.

Thanks,

BTW, I get to Sheppard 25Feb

[Guest Blue]

Dorms are about 300 sq feet. They're small to say the least.

Call down here and talk to housing with any questions.

[Guest Dirt Beater]

Are there any good dirtbike trails around KSPS?

[Scooter14]

The Wichita Mts are about 45 min to the north, just west of Lawton, OK. I've never biked there, but the Ft Sill outdoor rec guys may know. Tons of wildlife reserves and such, and a kick ass burger joint in the town of Meers. Sheppard outdoor rec could probably clue you in as well.

[Guest mrharvester]

A few miles west of Iowa Park, 1 exit west of the rest stop on 287, is a pretty sweet place for off-roading. You get off the highway and take a right, follow the road to the end (about 2 miles), take a left and less than a mile later you'll go through a cattle gate into the public land. There's a small reservior out there with all kinds of trails around it. It's about 15 minutes away from the base.

You can also go to Waurika Bridge. Follow Hwy 79 out of Wichita Falls until you get to the bridge that crosses the Red River into Oklahoma. Right before the bridge is a turnoff that leads down into the Red River, which an ATV playground. I've personally never been off-roading here because it's illeagal for trucks and jeeps; but it's all good for ATVs and dirt bikes. A dude in my class went out there last summer and said it was awesome. It's about a 35-40 minute drive from the base. The Waurika Bridge is also the point where all of the T-37 low-level routes start at Sheppard.

[ 25. April 2005, 16:41: Message edited by: MrHarvester ]

[Guest gpecar]

Razorback,

I spoke to the Guard Liason today, and she said to try to come down two weeks early. She also suggested that I live in the dorms vs living off base. What do you guys think is better? Im out of the DC Guard at Andrews.

[Guest Dirt Beater]

I live in the dorms and if I had the choice to live off base, I probably wouldn't. The dorms are no hassle...they're nice, it's literally right across the street from the gym, it's a 5 minute drive to work, laundry is free, and there are dudes all around you that are going through the same thing you are. Not a shabby deal if you ask me.

[Guest pcampbell]

If I was single, I would live in the dorms. To include the stuff NSFW wrote, you don't have to worry about utilities, mowing the lawn, etc, etc.

[Smokin]

What they said about the dorms is true, except the same is true if you got an apartment. Plus you don't have to worry about traffic at the gate, which can suck if they shut down all the gates because someone shoplifted a can of coke at the BX. However, if you do find some roommates and they let you live off base, you could make some money. A friend of mine at Vance is making a couple hundred a month off his extra BAH. Either splitting an apartment or a house nearby wouldn't take up too much more time and you'd have a built in study group. If you're trying to find possible roommates from your class, try calling the 80th OSS/DOT, they're the guys who are incharge of your inprocessing and everything not related to flying. I think it's 940-676-5055.

[Guest Squez0114]

How bad does traffic get in Wichita Falls (primarily coming from the south)?

[Ram]

haha

This isn't Dallas, mi amigo. The most traffic I've seen is the "Shoeclerk 500" every morning to the gate from 0730 to 0815. Ya know, the mornings when I get to sleep in a little bit.

Make the drive a couple times at different times in the morning. You'll see it ain't too bad.

[VL-16]

Are there any lakes in the vicinity of Sheppard that would be good for wake boarding/inner-tubing? I'm contemplating buying a boat, but unless I can use it during UPT, I'll most likely wait a few years. If you know of any good spots, chime in and help a brother out!

[Ill Destructor]

Are there any lakes in the vicinity of Sheppard that would be good for wake boarding/inner-tubing? I'm contemplating buying a boat, but unless I can use it during UPT, I'll most likely wait a few years. If you know of any good spots, chime in and help a brother out!

Lake Arrowhead seems like a good candidate.

[Bluto]

I only remember going to Lake Altus for swimming and stuff like that. It's been over 4 years so I don't recall all the lakes around there. There are several towards Dallas.

[Guest rumblefish_2]

Sheppard's got an MWR spot on Lake Texoma, which has some great partying spots where hundreds of people tie their boats together, especially in the summer. They have boats you can rent, but you kinda have to break the rules to get a boat out of their "restricted radius" and over to the best spots. If you have a three day weekend, get a suite at Tanglewood and hit the bar down by the water. If you're lucky, you may even run into "the Worm" himself, Dennis Rodman.

[spectre56]

You can also check out the Sheppard Services website for more info.

[Guest EN_STUD]

Couple tips for renting:

- Base housing has an 8 month waiting list and isn't worth waiting for anyway.

- Most of the IPs live over by the stadium, and the housing over there is sweet, but I wouldn't recommend it for a stud because it’s much better to be closer to base where the rest of your bros will be studying. Plus, on those 0430 show times, every minute of extra sleep counts. If you get FAIP'd, buy a house by the stadium.

- I highly recommend the housing area on Missile Road, just outside the Missile Road gate. Rent is anywhere from $900-1200 for a 3 bedroom house and it’s just as close to the ENJJPT campus as base housing. The entire area is mostly military or retired. Check it out on Google Earth; most of the streets are named after AF bases. If you are searching the MLS, the zip code is 76306. If you want something cheaper, there is a nice apartment complex on the west side of Missile Road, where it meets the Interstate called Northpark Village. http://www.northparkapt.net/

Overall, live as close to base as possible. A bro in my class lives downtown and thought it was great at first being close to the mall and all that shit...after a few weeks of pilot training, he though otherwise. 20 minutes of driving each way every day might seem like nothing for a regular job, but when you get home from a long ass day and have 2 hours to eat, shit, study, and rub one out in that order, then in makes all the difference.

Contact the Sheppard housing office. They have listings for house rentals that are not advertised anywhere else. IE: people that only want to rent to military.

[FallingOsh]

I lived in Northpark on Missle Rd. With a rommate, we were banking about 300 a month each. The apartments are decent and the back section is brand new. The ladies in the front office are pretty good about helping out since there are a ton of military folks. When we canceled our lease to move on base it only costs 75% of the next months rent. Not a bad deal considering we jumped ship on 7 months worth of a contract.

I agree with renting in the neighborhoods on Missle. Very convenient and nice size houses. That being said... After the first several months of tweets, living more than 30 seconds from the gate isnt a big deal. One of my flight mates lives downtown right across the street from a bar. You don't have to sleep at the squadron every night to do well in flight school.

[JLoweCSU]

My favorite local restaurants are:

Angels - Mexican (about a mile out the main gate)

Branding Iron - BBQ (10 minute drive from base)

Hunan - Chinese Buffet (2 miles out Missile Road gate)

Bars:

Old Town - Seems to be the most popular destination right now

Stage West - Hip-Hop and a bit ghetto, but fun if you like to dance

Outskirts - Country music and dancing

Toby's - Bar

Don't worry about anything besides flying for the next few years because that will keep you busy enough...trust me! Once you finally get your wings, are done with B-course, and then get upgraded to be a flight lead you can think about language training. Last I knew the AF was paying for people to do language training through Rosetta Stone online, but you had to keep up with the program and were required to take a proficiency test after 1 year.

As for the gouge...get with someone you know that is at training right now. You may be able to find some stuff by browsing online, but I wouldn't be terribly concerned about it. Anyhow, there is a chance you could be in one of the first T-6 classes...I think they start this Summer/Fall...in which case there isn't any Sheppard gouge to be had aside from the local procedures stuff. Enjoy the last few months you have before you arrive...you'll be studying plenty once you arrive!

[Guest EN_STUD]

On the Border is always a safe bet and there is a place called The Pelican on Midwestern Parkway that is pretty good. Also, in Burkburnett on Main St. there's Sofia's. It’s a little hole in the wall Mexican food place that has the awesome breakfast burritos...best hangover food. Usually a Saturday morning ritual for my flight.

Old Town is where it's at...Stage West is alright but full of tech school airmen.

Babes BYOB is the most ghetto fabulous strip club you've ever seen. Most of the strippers are ugly as shit, but sometimes its fun just to go feed the monkeys when you're hammered. It's a $10 cover for military and you can bring your own beer. After our solo party in 38s, we went there with all the IPs and brought what was left over of our keg. We even had all the strippers drag our flight commander up on stage. Many legendary nights in Whichita Falls have usually ended at this shit hole.

[FallingOsh]

You're required to live in the dorms. People are allowed to move off base when the capacity exceeds a certain amount, 90% I think. You put your name on a list when you get here and those at the top get priority. It almost always works out that you'll be able to move off base around the end of tweets. Just party at the married guys' houses.

Seeing airman out at a bar isn't a big deal and definitely doesn't make the place off limits. They are usually easy to spot around here, but they don't have AIDS. Being in the same bar with airman isn't the end of the world and doesn't mean you're going to jail. EN STUD probably just meant that a room full of airman is generally going to be a younger, "look how cool i am," crowd. I hate Old Town with a passion, but it tends to be an older crowd that is happy just talking and drinking.

[Duck]

So what I am getting is base housing for married guys is pretty crappy?

[FallingOsh]

So what I am getting is base housing for married guys is pretty crappy?

Not at all. I mean, it's a little old but still in good condition. We all have 3 bedroom houses with decent size yards. The only bills we pay are cable/internet. Everyone in my flight used to get hammered and climb the trees in the backyard or sleep on the roof. With two extra bedrooms there was always room for people to crash.

[Flare]

So what I am getting is base housing for married guys is pretty crappy?

No. The dorms for the single dudes suck, but base housing isn't that bad at Sheppard. I have certainly seen worse! I lived in 'em for 5+ years, and if I was going to move back on base, I'd gladly live there again.

[Guest Kula Shaker]

To those on/off base concerning internet service:

Do NOT EVER consider Clearwire ! It's an absolute hassle to cancel the service even if you're month-to month. They won't cancel your service until you call 4 times, they won't prorate, and they'll beg you 20 times to sell your service on CraigsList . Plus the service isn't that good (1.5 MB/sec). It wasn't bad in early 2006 when I first got to SPS, but now it is mediocre at best and not even worth your time. I think most go through the cable company anyways, but I only wanted internet. Lesson learned.

F. Your I., Tell Your Friends, etc., etc.