Nonstop flight route between Watertown, South Dakota, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from ATY to THU:
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- About this route
- ATY Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about ATY
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to ATY
- List of Nearest Airports to ATY
- Map of Furthest Airports from ATY
- List of Furthest Airports from ATY
- Map of Nearest Airports to THU
- List of Nearest Airports to THU
- Map of Furthest Airports from THU
- List of Furthest Airports from THU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Watertown Regional Airport (ATY), Watertown, South Dakota, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,331 miles (or 3,751 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 relatively short distance between Watertown Regional Airport and Thule Air Base, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | ATY / KATY |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Watertown, South Dakota, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 44°54'50"N by 97°9'16"W |
| Area Served: | Watertown, South Dakota |
| Operator/Owner: | City of Watertown |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 1749 feet (533 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from ATY |
| More Information: | ATY Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | THU / BGTL |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Pituffik, Greenland |
| GPS Coordinates: | 76°31'51"N by 68°42'11"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from THU |
| More Information: | THU Maps & Info |
Facts about Watertown Regional Airport (ATY):
- In addition to being known as "Watertown Regional Airport", another name for ATY is "Watertown Army Airfield".
- During World War II the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Forces.
- The furthest airport from Watertown Regional Airport (ATY) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,571 miles (17,013 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The closest airport to Watertown Regional Airport (ATY) is Brookings Regional Airport (BKX), which is located 45 miles (73 kilometers) SSE of ATY.
- Watertown Regional Airport (ATY) has 2 runways.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- Late 1950s the DEW 1 to 4 where build as "weather stations", Thule Air Base would act as an supply station for the DYE bases.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- After the German occupation of Denmark on 9 April 1940, Henrik Kauffmann Danish Ambassador to the United States, made an agreement "In the name of the king" with the United States authorizing the United States to defend the Danish colonies on Greenland from German aggression - this agreement faced Kaufmann with a charge of high treason.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- In the winter of 1956/57 three KC-97 tankers and alternately one of two RB-47H aircraft made polar flights to inspect Soviet defenses.
- The furthest airport from Thule Air Base (THU) is Hobart International Airport (HBA), which is located 9,883 miles (15,905 kilometers) away in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
- Thule Air Base is home to the 21st Space Wing's global network of sensors providing missile warning, space surveillance and space control to North American Aerospace Defense Command and Air Force Space Command.
- Originally established as a Strategic Air Command installation, Thule would periodically serve as a dispersal base for B-36 Peacemaker and B-47 Stratojet aircraft during the 1950s, as well as providing an ideal site to test the operability and maintainability of these weapon systems in extreme cold weather.
