Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Deering, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to DRG:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- DRG Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about DRG
- 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 DRG
- List of Nearest Airports to DRG
- Map of Furthest Airports from DRG
- List of Furthest Airports from DRG
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Deering Airport (DRG), Deering, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,941 miles (or 3,124 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 Deering Airport, 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: | DRG / PADE |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Deering, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 66°4'9"N by 162°45'59"W |
| Area Served: | Deering, Alaska |
| Operator/Owner: | State of Alaska DOT&PF - Northern Region |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 21 feet (6 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from DRG |
| More Information: | DRG Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- Thule Air Base is the U.S.
- 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.
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
Facts about Deering Airport (DRG):
- Deering Airport (DRG) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Deering Airport (DRG) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is located 10,267 miles (16,524 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.
- Because of Deering Airport's relatively low elevation of 21 feet, planes can take off or land at Deering 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 closest airport to Deering Airport (DRG) is Buckland Airport (BKC), which is located 46 miles (74 kilometers) E of DRG.
- In addition to being known as "Deering Airport", another name for DRG is "DEE".
