Nonstop flight route between Hamilton, Alabama, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from HAB to THU:
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- About this route
- HAB Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about HAB
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to HAB
- List of Nearest Airports to HAB
- Map of Furthest Airports from HAB
- List of Furthest Airports from HAB
- 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 Marion County - Rankin Fite Airport (HAB), Hamilton, Alabama, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,994 miles (or 4,818 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 Marion County - Rankin Fite 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 Marion County - Rankin Fite 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: | HAB / KHAB |
| Airport Name: | Marion County - Rankin Fite Airport |
| Location: | Hamilton, Alabama, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 34°7'2"N by 87°59'53"W |
| Area Served: | Hamilton, Alabama |
| Operator/Owner: | Marion County |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 442 feet (135 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from HAB |
| More Information: | HAB 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 Marion County - Rankin Fite Airport (HAB):
- The closest airport to Marion County - Rankin Fite Airport (HAB) is Columbus Air Force Base (CBM), which is located 42 miles (67 kilometers) SW of HAB.
- The furthest airport from Marion County - Rankin Fite Airport (HAB) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,117 miles (17,891 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Marion County - Rankin Fite Airport (HAB) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Marion County - Rankin Fite Airport's relatively low elevation of 442 feet, planes can take off or land at Marion County - Rankin Fite Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
Facts about Thule Air Base (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".
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States bases.
- 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.
- In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- 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.
- 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.
- Thule Air Base has served as the regional hub for nearby installations, including Cape Atholl, Camp Century, Camp TUTO, Sites 1 and 2, P-Mountain, J-Site, North and South Mountains, and a research rocket firing site.
