Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to BBX:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- BBX Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about BBX
- Map of Nearest Airports to THU
- List of Nearest Airports to THU
- Map of Furthest Airports from THU
- List of Furthest Airports from THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to BBX
- List of Nearest Airports to BBX
- Map of Furthest Airports from BBX
- List of Furthest Airports from BBX
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Wings Field (BBX), Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,522 miles (or 4,059 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 Thule Air Base and Wings Field, 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 Thule Air Base and Wings Field. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure 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 |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | BBX / KLOM |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 40°8'15"N by 75°15'54"W |
| Area Served: | Philadelphia |
| Operator/Owner: | Wings Field Preservation Assoc. |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 302 feet (92 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from BBX |
| More Information: | BBX Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- 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.
- 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.
- A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
- 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.
- A delegation from NATO's Parliamentary Assembly visited Thule in early September 2010 and were told by the base commander that, at that time, approximately 600 personnel were serving at Thule, a mix of mostly U.S.
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
- 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.
Facts about Wings Field (BBX):
- Wings Airways was a commuter airline based at Wings Field.
- Wings Field (BBX) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Wings Field's relatively low elevation of 302 feet, planes can take off or land at Wings Field 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.
- In addition to being known as "Wings Field", another name for BBX is "LOM".
- The closest airport to Wings Field (BBX) is NAS JRB Willow Grove (NXX), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) NE of BBX.
- The furthest airport from Wings Field (BBX) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,723 miles (18,866 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Wings Field covers 217 acres and has one asphalt runway, 6/24, 3,700 x 75 ft.
