Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Exmouth, Western Australia, Australia:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to LEA:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- LEA Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about LEA
- 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 LEA
- List of Nearest Airports to LEA
- Map of Furthest Airports from LEA
- List of Furthest Airports from LEA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and RAAF Learmonth (LEA), Exmouth, Western Australia, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,684 miles (or 13,976 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 RAAF Learmonth, 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 RAAF Learmonth. 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: | LEA / YPLM |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Exmouth, Western Australia, Australia |
| GPS Coordinates: | 22°14'8"S by 114°5'18"E |
| Area Served: | Exmouth, Western Australia |
| Operator/Owner: | RAAF/Shire of Exmouth |
| Airport Type: | Military/Public |
| Elevation: | 19 feet (6 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from LEA |
| More Information: | LEA Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- 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.
- 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 1954, the 378 m Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
Facts about RAAF Learmonth (LEA):
- The closest airport to RAAF Learmonth (LEA) is Barrow Island Airport (BWB), which is located 127 miles (204 kilometers) NE of LEA.
- Because of RAAF Learmonth's relatively low elevation of 19 feet, planes can take off or land at RAAF Learmonth 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 addition to being known as "RAAF Learmonth", another name for LEA is "Learmonth Airport".
- RAAF Learmonth (LEA) currently has only 1 runway.
- During World War II a little-known landing field was constructed on the western shore of Exmouth Gulf.
- The furthest airport from RAAF Learmonth (LEA) is Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport (SIG), which is nearly antipodal to RAAF Learmonth (meaning RAAF Learmonth is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport), and is located 12,175 miles (19,594 kilometers) away in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
- RAAF Learmonth handled 90,861 passengers last year.
