Nonstop flight route between Beckley, West Virginia, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from BKW to THU:
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- About this route
- BKW Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about BKW
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to BKW
- List of Nearest Airports to BKW
- Map of Furthest Airports from BKW
- List of Furthest Airports from BKW
- 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 Raleigh County Memorial Airport (BKW), Beckley, West Virginia, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,704 miles (or 4,352 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 Raleigh County Memorial 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 Raleigh County Memorial 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:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | BKW / KBKW |
| Airport Name: | Raleigh County Memorial Airport |
| Location: | Beckley, West Virginia, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 37°47'13"N by 81°7'27"W |
| Area Served: | Beckley, West Virginia |
| Operator/Owner: | Raleigh County Airport Authority |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 2504 feet (763 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from BKW |
| More Information: | BKW 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 Raleigh County Memorial Airport (BKW):
- The furthest airport from Raleigh County Memorial Airport (BKW) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,491 miles (18,494 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Raleigh County Memorial Airport covers an area of 1,433 acres at an elevation of 2,504 feet above mean sea level.
- Raleigh County Memorial Airport (BKW) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to Raleigh County Memorial Airport (BKW) is Mercer County Airport (BLF), which is located 34 miles (55 kilometers) S of BKW.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- 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.
- 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 addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- The ratification of the treaty in 1951 did not change much, except that the Danish national flag Dannebrog must be side by side with Stars and Stripes on the base.
- There is only a brief period each year in the summer when sea ice thins sufficiently to send supply ships to the base.
