Nonstop flight route between Fort Greely, Delta Junction, Alaska, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from BIG to THU:
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- About this route
- BIG Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about BIG
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to BIG
- List of Nearest Airports to BIG
- Map of Furthest Airports from BIG
- List of Furthest Airports from BIG
- Map of Nearest Airports to THU
- List of Nearest Airports to THU
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- List of Furthest Airports from THU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Allen Army Airfield (BIG), Fort Greely, Delta Junction, Alaska, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,813 miles (or 2,917 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 Allen Army Airfield 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: | BIG / PABI |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Fort Greely, Delta Junction, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 63°59'43"N by 145°43'11"W |
| Area Served: | Fort Greely, Alaska |
| Operator/Owner: | United States Army |
| Airport Type: | Public / Military |
| Elevation: | 1291 feet (393 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from BIG |
| More Information: | BIG 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 Allen Army Airfield (BIG):
- The closest airport to Allen Army Airfield (BIG) is Delta Junction Airport (DJN), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) N of BIG.
- Allen Army Airfield resides at elevation of 1,291 feet above mean sea level.
- Allen Army Airfield (BIG) has 3 runways.
- In addition to being known as "Allen Army Airfield", another name for BIG is "(former Big Delta Army Airfield)".
- The furthest airport from Allen Army Airfield (BIG) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,331 miles (16,625 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- 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.
- After liberation, Denmark ratified the Kauffmann treaty but began efforts to take over U.S.
- In 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
- In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- 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 also home to the 821st Air Base Group and is responsible for air base support within the Thule Defense Area for the multinational population of "Team Thule." The base hosts the 12th Space Warning Squadron which operates a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System designed to detect and track ICBMs launched against North America.
- In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States bases.
- A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
