FLC TAKES OFF AT NIGHT ACR ACFT FROM UNLIGHTED RWY.

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ON OCT/XA/95 AT APPROX XX10 LCL WE TOOK OFF FROM WICHITA FALLS ARPT; TX (SPS); ENRTE TO DALLAS/FT WORTH INTL ARPT (DFW). BECAUSE THE TWR WAS CLOSED ALL OUR INTENTIONS WERE ANNOUNCED ON THE CTAF. THE CAPT (PF) DECIDED TO USE RWY 17 BECAUSE THE WINDS WERE 150 DEGS 08 KTS AND THE PERFORMANCE DATA RPT (VAQ RPT) WAS ADEQUATE FOR THAT RWY. OUR STATION GND PERSONNEL AND OUR COMPANY'S FIELD CONDITION RPT INDICATED ALL RWYS OPEN AND DRY (INCLUDING RWY 17). THE ATIS RPT (MONITORED PRIOR TO DEP) DID NOT DIFFER FROM OUR COMPANY'S RPT. THERE WERE NO NOTAM RPTS; AT THE TIME OF OUR DEP; TO DISPUTE THE INFO GIVEN TO US BY OUR COMPANY OR THE ATIS BROADCAST. WITH ALL THIS INFO IN HAND THE CAPT'S DECISION TO USE RWY 17 WAS NOT DISPUTED. THE DEP WAS INITIATED VFR BECAUSE WE WERE UNABLE TO ESTABLISH RADIO CONTACT WITH ATC (ALL OF THE RPTED FREQS WERE ATTEMPTED). SHORTLY AFTER THE TKOF ROLL WAS INITIATED IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE RWY LIGHTS WERE INOP (THE LIGHTS FROM THE TXWYS SURROUNDING THE AREA TOGETHER WITH THE ILLUMINATION EFFECT CREATED BY THE LIGHTS OF THE HUGE MIL RAMP JUST N OF THE DEP END OF RWY 17 RESULTED IN THE APPEARANCE OF A PERFECTLY LIT RWY). IT WAS DECIDED TO CONTINUE BECAUSE WE HAD ADEQUATE WX (VMC)/VISIBILITY; FIELD CONDITION RPTS; RWY MARKINGS; AND THE ACFT'S TAXI AND LNDG LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATING THE RWY ADEQUATELY. AFTER DEP WE ESTABLISH RADIO CONTACT WITH ZFW AND PROCEEDED IFR TO DFW. ON THE ENRTE PORTION OF OUR FLT WE RECEIVED A COMPANY MESSAGE VIA ACARS. THE DISPATCHER INFORMED US THAT SOMEBODY AT SPS HAD CALLED THE COMPANY TO INQUIRE AS TO THE UTILIZATION OF RWY 17 FOR DEP. AFTER CONTACTING DISPATCH THE CAPT WAS ABLE TO CONTACT SPS MIL PERSONNEL AND DISCUSS THE MATTER FURTHER. THE MIL CTLR (THE CTLR WAS APPARENTLY IN THE TWR AND SAW OUR DEP) INFORMED US THAT WHILE IT WAS TRUE THAT THE ATIS BROADCAST DID NOT INDICATE THAT RWY 17 WAS CLOSED (HE INFORMED US THAT HE HAD REVIEWED THE ATIS BROADCAST PRIOR TO CONTACTING OUR COMPANY; HAD FOUND IT INADEQUATE AND HAD CHANGED IT IMMEDIATELY AFTER OUR DEP) IT WAS THE MIL'S UNDERSTANDING THAT ANY TIME THE RWY LIGHTS TO A RWY WERE TURNED OFF; THE RWY WAS CLOSED. THIS INFO WAS NEVER PASSED ON TO US AT ANY POINT OR IN ANY FORM. IN MY OPINION; THIS SIT TOOK PLACE BECAUSE OF THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: ONE; THE MIL DID NOT RPT THE ALLEGED RWY CLOSURE TO ANYBODY. THEREFORE; NONE OF THE RPTS USED TO DISSEMINATE VALUABLE INFO TO AIRMEN WERE EVER ISSUED. TWO; THE MIL ALSO FAILED TO PREPARE A PROPER ATIS BROADCAST TO ENSURE THAT THE RWY IN QUESTION WAS NEVER USED. IN RETROSPECT; I THINK THE MIL NEEDS TO PARTICIPATE VERY CLOSELY WITH THE COMMERCIAL/CIVILIAN SECTOR OF THE AVIATION COMMUNITY IN ORDER TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE FLYING PUBLIC. IN THIS PARTICULAR SIT IT DID NOT.