Nonstop flight route between Sunriver, Oregon, United States and Pituffik, Greenland:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Sunriver Airport (SUO), Sunriver, Oregon, United States and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,704 miles (or 4,352 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 Sunriver 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 Sunriver 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:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Sunriver Airport (SUO):

• In addition to being known as "Sunriver Airport", another name for SUO is "S21".
• Because of Sunriver Airport's high elevation of 4,164 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at SUO. Combined with a high temperature, this could make SUO a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The furthest airport from Sunriver Airport (SUO) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,981 miles (17,672 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• The closest airport to Sunriver Airport (SUO) is Roberts Field (RDM), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) NNE of SUO.
• Sunriver Airport (SUO) currently has only 1 runway.

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 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
• There is only a brief period each year in the summer when sea ice thins sufficiently to send supply ships to the base.
• Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
• The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
• In 1959, the airbase was the main staging point for the construction of Camp Century, some 150 mi from the base.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
• 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 1957 construction began on 4 Nike Missile sites around the base, and they and their radar systems were operational by the end of 1958.