Nonstop flight route between Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from RWI to THU:
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- About this route
- RWI Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about RWI
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to RWI
- List of Nearest Airports to RWI
- Map of Furthest Airports from RWI
- List of Furthest Airports from RWI
- 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 Rocky Mount–Wilson Regional Airport (RWI), Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,825 miles (or 4,546 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 Mount–Wilson 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 Rocky Mount–Wilson 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: | RWI / KRWI |
| Airport Name: | Rocky Mount–Wilson Regional Airport |
| Location: | Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 35°51'23"N by 77°53'30"W |
| Area Served: | Rocky Mount / Wilson, North Carolina |
| Operator/Owner: | Rocky Mount–Wilson Airport Authority |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 159 feet (48 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from RWI |
| More Information: | RWI 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 Rocky Mount–Wilson Regional Airport (RWI):
- Rocky Mount–Wilson Regional Airport (RWI) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Rocky Mount–Wilson Regional Airport (RWI) is Triangle North Executive Airport (Franklin County Airport) (LFN), which is located 27 miles (44 kilometers) WNW of RWI.
- Because of Rocky Mount–Wilson Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 159 feet, planes can take off or land at Rocky Mount–Wilson 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.
- The furthest airport from Rocky Mount–Wilson Regional Airport (RWI) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,689 miles (18,812 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- 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 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- A board of Air Force officers headed by Gordon P.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- Thule Air Base or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport, is the United States Air Force's northernmost base, located 1,207 km north of the Arctic Circle and 1,524 km from the North Pole on the northwest side of the island of Greenland.
