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):

• 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 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.
• 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.
• St. Johns Industrial Air Park (SJN) has 2 runways.

Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):

• 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 addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
• 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.
• 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.
• The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of 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.
• Originally established as a Strategic Air Command installation, Thule would periodically serve as a dispersal base for B-36 Peacemaker and B-47 Stratojet aircraft during the 1950s, as well as providing an ideal site to test the operability and maintainability of these weapon systems in extreme cold weather.