Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Burlington, Iowa, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Southeast Iowa Regional Airport (BRL), Burlington, Iowa, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,559 miles (or 4,118 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 Southeast Iowa Regional Airport, 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 Southeast Iowa Regional Airport. 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 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.
• Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
• 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 the winter of 1956/57 three KC-97 tankers and alternately one of two RB-47H aircraft made polar flights to inspect Soviet defenses.
• Thule became an Air Force Space Command base in 1982.
• Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
• The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.

Facts about Southeast Iowa Regional Airport (BRL):

• Southeast Iowa Regional Airport is a public use airport located two nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Burlington, a city in Des Moines County, Iowa, United States.
• Southeast Iowa Regional Airport (BRL) has 2 runways.
• Because of Southeast Iowa Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 698 feet, planes can take off or land at Southeast Iowa 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 airport's hours of operation were extended in 1959 when runway lights were installed, enabling flights to takeoff and land at night.
• The closest airport to Southeast Iowa Regional Airport (BRL) is Mount Pleasant Municipal Airport (MPZ), which is located 23 miles (37 kilometers) WNW of BRL.
• The furthest airport from Southeast Iowa Regional Airport (BRL) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,927 miles (17,586 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 2,645 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 1,986 enplanements in 2009, and 2,821 in 2010.