Nonstop flight route between St. Johns, Arizona, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between St. Johns Industrial Air Park (SJN), St. Johns, Arizona, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,167 miles (or 5,097 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 St. Johns Industrial Air Park 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 St. Johns Industrial Air Park 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 St. Johns Industrial Air Park (SJN):

• St. Johns Industrial Air Park (SJN) has 2 runways.
• Because of St. Johns Industrial Air Park's high elevation of 5,737 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at SJN. Combined with a high temperature, this could make SJN a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The closest airport to St. Johns Industrial Air Park (SJN) is Show Low Regional Airport (SOW), which is located 40 miles (64 kilometers) WSW of SJN.
• The furthest airport from St. Johns Industrial Air Park (SJN) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,324 miles (18,225 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.

Facts about Thule Air Base (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.
• After liberation, Denmark ratified the Kauffmann treaty but began efforts to take over U.S.
• There is only a brief period each year in the summer when sea ice thins sufficiently to send supply ships to the base.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
• 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.
• The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
• 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.
• 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 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
• 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.