Nonstop flight route between Kelso, Washington, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from KLS to THU:
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- About this route
- KLS Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about KLS
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to KLS
- List of Nearest Airports to KLS
- Map of Furthest Airports from KLS
- List of Furthest Airports from KLS
- 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 Southwest Washington Regional Airport (KLS), Kelso, Washington, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,578 miles (or 4,148 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 Southwest Washington Regional 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 Southwest Washington Regional 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: | KLS / KKLS |
| Airport Name: | Southwest Washington Regional Airport |
| Location: | Kelso, Washington, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 46°7'5"N by 122°53'53"W |
| Area Served: | Longview-Kelso Metropolitan Area |
| Operator/Owner: | City of Kelso |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 20 feet (6 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from KLS |
| More Information: | KLS 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 Southwest Washington Regional Airport (KLS):
- The closest airport to Southwest Washington Regional Airport (KLS) is South Lewis County Airport (TDO), which is located 25 miles (41 kilometers) N of KLS.
- Because of Southwest Washington Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 20 feet, planes can take off or land at Southwest Washington Regional 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.
- There is one flight school located at the airport.
- Southwest Washington Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Kelso, in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States.
- Kelso-Longview Airport opened in May 1941 on 109 acres of a nearby dairy farm, as a training field for amateur pilots, and has since become a regional transportation center for southwest Washington.
- The furthest airport from Southwest Washington Regional Airport (KLS) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,876 miles (17,503 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- Southwest Washington Regional Airport (KLS) currently has only 1 runway.
- Southwest Washington Regional Airport covers an area of 110 acres at an elevation of 20 feet above mean sea level.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
- 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 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.
- A board of Air Force officers headed by Gordon P.
- 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 the winter of 1956/57 three KC-97 tankers and alternately one of two RB-47H aircraft made polar flights to inspect Soviet defenses.
- There is only a brief period each year in the summer when sea ice thins sufficiently to send supply ships to the base.
- In 1957 construction began on 4 Nike Missile sites around the base, and they and their radar systems were operational by the end of 1958.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of 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.
