Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to MCD:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- MCD Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about MCD
- 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 MCD
- List of Nearest Airports to MCD
- Map of Furthest Airports from MCD
- List of Furthest Airports from MCD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Mackinac Island Airport (MCD), Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,167 miles (or 3,487 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 Mackinac Island 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: | MCD / KMCD |
| Airport Name: | Mackinac Island Airport |
| Location: | Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 45°51'54"N by 84°38'13"W |
| Area Served: | Mackinac Island, Michigan |
| Operator/Owner: | Mackinac Island State Park Commission |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 739 feet (225 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from MCD |
| More Information: | MCD Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- 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.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
Facts about Mackinac Island Airport (MCD):
- The closest airport to Mackinac Island Airport (MCD) is Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County (PLN), which is located 22 miles (35 kilometers) SSW of MCD.
- The furthest airport from Mackinac Island Airport (MCD) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,111 miles (17,881 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Mackinac Island Airport was activated in 1940.
- Mackinac Island Airport (MCD) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Mackinac Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 739 feet, planes can take off or land at Mackinac Island 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.
