Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Bedford, Massachusetts, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to BED:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- BED Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about BED
- 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 BED
- List of Nearest Airports to BED
- Map of Furthest Airports from BED
- List of Furthest Airports from BED
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Laurence G. Hanscom Field (BED), Bedford, Massachusetts, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,355 miles (or 3,789 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 relatively short distance between Thule Air Base and Laurence G. Hanscom Field, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
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: | BED / KBED |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Bedford, Massachusetts, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 42°28'11"N by 71°17'20"W |
| Operator/Owner: | Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) |
| Airport Type: | Public / Military |
| Elevation: | 132 feet (40 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from BED |
| More Information: | BED Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- In 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- 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.
- 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.
- Thule became an Air Force Space Command base in 1982.
Facts about Laurence G. Hanscom Field (BED):
- Laurence G. Hanscom Field (BED) has 2 runways.
- Because of Laurence G. Hanscom Field's relatively low elevation of 132 feet, planes can take off or land at Laurence G. Hanscom 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 2008, and many years prior, Hanscom has handled the second most aircraft movements of any airport in New England.
- In addition to being known as "Laurence G. Hanscom Field", another name for BED is "Hanscom Air Force Base".
- On May 31, 2014, a private Gulfstream IV business jet crashed and caught fire beyond the end of runway 11 following an aborted take off from Hanscom Field, killing all seven people on board.
- On August 8, 1962, a US Air Force KC-135 tanker crashed on approach to Hanscom Field's runway 11, destroying the aircraft and killing all three members of the flight crew.
- The furthest airport from Laurence G. Hanscom Field (BED) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,753 miles (18,914 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Hanscom's flight school that offers ratings up to ATP.
- Hanscom is a critical part of the air transportation infrastructure for Massachusetts and the rest of New England.
- The closest airport to Laurence G. Hanscom Field (BED) is Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) ESE of BED.
