Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Greenfield, Indiana, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to GFD:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- GFD Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about GFD
- 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 GFD
- List of Nearest Airports to GFD
- Map of Furthest Airports from GFD
- List of Furthest Airports from GFD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Pope Field (GFD), Greenfield, Indiana, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,590 miles (or 4,168 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 Pope 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 Pope 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: | GFD / KGFD |
| Airport Name: | Pope Field |
| Location: | Greenfield, Indiana, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 39°47'25"N by 85°44'9"W |
| Area Served: | Greenfield, Indiana |
| Operator/Owner: | Pope Airport Inc. |
| Airport Type: | Public use |
| Elevation: | 895 feet (273 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from GFD |
| More Information: | GFD Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In 1954, the 378 m Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain.
- In 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
- In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States bases.
- 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.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- 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.
- A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
- Thule Air Base is home to the 21st Space Wing's global network of sensors providing missile warning, space surveillance and space control to North American Aerospace Defense Command and Air Force Space Command.
- Thule became an Air Force Space Command base in 1982.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
Facts about Pope Field (GFD):
- The furthest airport from Pope Field (GFD) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,219 miles (18,056 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The closest airport to Pope Field (GFD) is Anderson Municipal Airport (AID), which is located 23 miles (37 kilometers) NNE of GFD.
- Pope Field (GFD) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Pope Field's relatively low elevation of 895 feet, planes can take off or land at Pope 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.
