Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Forres, Scotland, United Kingdom:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to FSS:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- FSS Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about FSS
- 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 FSS
- List of Nearest Airports to FSS
- Map of Furthest Airports from FSS
- List of Furthest Airports from FSS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Kinloss Barracks (FSS), Forres, Scotland, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,009 miles (or 3,233 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 Kinloss Barracks, 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: | FSS / EGQK |
| Airport Name: | Kinloss Barracks |
| Location: | Forres, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| GPS Coordinates: | 57°38'57"N by 3°33'38"W |
| Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
| Airport Type: | Military |
| Elevation: | 22 feet (7 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from FSS |
| More Information: | FSS Maps & Info |
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 is the location where the fastest recorded sea level surface wind speed in the world was measured when a peak speed of 333 kilometres per hour was recorded on 8 March 1972 prior to the instrument's destruction.
- In 1959, the airbase was the main staging point for the construction of Camp Century, some 150 mi from the base.
- 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.
- Late 1950s the DEW 1 to 4 where build as "weather stations", Thule Air Base would act as an supply station for the DYE bases.
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- 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.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
Facts about Kinloss Barracks (FSS):
- On 2 September 2006, 12 Nimrod crew members from 120 Squadron crew 3 and 2 observers were killed when their Nimrod, serial number XV230, exploded over Afghanistan.
- The closest airport to Kinloss Barracks (FSS) is RAF Lossiemouth (LMO), which is located only 9 miles (15 kilometers) ENE of FSS.
- The station continues to be home to the RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team, the No 663 Volunteer Gliding School operating the Vigilant T1 and the Moray Flying Club are also based at RAF Kinloss.
- The furthest airport from Kinloss Barracks (FSS) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,616 miles (18,694 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.
- In 1939, 14 FTS moved south and were replaced by 19 Operational Training Unit training bomber crews for the offensive.
- Because of Kinloss Barracks's relatively low elevation of 22 feet, planes can take off or land at Kinloss Barracks 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.
- Kinloss Barracks (FSS) currently has only 1 runway.
- In 1972 and 1976 the new Hawker Siddeley Nimrod demonstrated its capabilities when it flew surveillance sorties over Iceland's disputed fishing limits, providing support for the Royal Navy and British trawlers in the Cod Wars.
