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.
- Lake Cumberland Regional Airport (SME) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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.
- Lake Cumberland Regional Airport currently does not have commercial service.
- 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.
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.
- Thule is the location where the fastest recorded sea level surface wind speed in the world was measured when a peak speed of 333 kilometres per hour was recorded on 8 March 1972 prior to the instrument's destruction.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- The ratification of the treaty in 1951 did not change much, except that the Danish national flag Dannebrog must be side by side with Stars and Stripes on the base.
- 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.