Nonstop flight route between Somerset, Kentucky, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SME to THU:
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- About this route
- SME Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about SME
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to SME
- List of Nearest Airports to SME
- Map of Furthest Airports from SME
- List of Furthest Airports from SME
- 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 Lake Cumberland Regional Airport (SME), Somerset, Kentucky, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,772 miles (or 4,461 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 Lake Cumberland 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 Lake Cumberland 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: | SME / KSME |
| Airport Name: | Lake Cumberland Regional Airport |
| Location: | Somerset, Kentucky, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 37°3'12"N by 84°36'56"W |
| Area Served: | Somerset, Kentucky |
| Operator/Owner: | Somerset-Pulaski County |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 927 feet (283 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SME |
| More Information: | SME 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 Lake Cumberland Regional Airport (SME):
- The closest airport to Lake Cumberland Regional Airport (SME) is London-Corbin Airport (LOZ), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) E of SME.
- Because of Lake Cumberland Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 927 feet, planes can take off or land at Lake Cumberland 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 Lake Cumberland Regional Airport (SME) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,309 miles (18,200 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The airport was renamed in 2008.
- Lake Cumberland Regional Airport (SME) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about Thule Air Base (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.
- 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 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.
- A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
- 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 addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- In 1954, the 378 m Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain.
