Nonstop flight route between Denver, Colorado, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC), Denver, Colorado, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,754 miles (or 4,431 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 large distance between Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport and Thule Air Base, the route shown on this map most likely appears curved because of this reason.

Try it at home! Get a globe and tightly lay a string between Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport and Thule Air Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC):

• Because of Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport's high elevation of 5,673 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at BJC. Combined with a high temperature, this could make BJC a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The furthest airport from Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,886 miles (17,519 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) has 3 runways.
• The USDA Forest Service maintains its Jefferson County Tanker Base at the airport.
• The closest airport to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) is Boulder Municipal Airport (WBU), which is located only 11 miles (17 kilometers) NNW of BJC.

Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):

• The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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".
• A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.