Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and McArthur River, Northern Territory, Australia:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to MCV:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- MCV Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about MCV
- 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 MCV
- List of Nearest Airports to MCV
- Map of Furthest Airports from MCV
- List of Furthest Airports from MCV
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and McArthur River Mine Airport (MCV), McArthur River, Northern Territory, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,192 miles (or 13,184 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 McArthur River Mine Airport, 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 McArthur River Mine Airport. 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: | MCV / YMHU |
| Airport Name: | McArthur River Mine Airport |
| Location: | McArthur River, Northern Territory, Australia |
| GPS Coordinates: | 16°26'42"S by 136°4'29"E |
| Operator/Owner: | McArthur River Mining Pty Ltd |
| Airport Type: | Private |
| Elevation: | 136 feet (41 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from MCV |
| More Information: | MCV 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.
- A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
- 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.
- 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 addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- 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.
- On 21 January 1968, a B-52G Stratofortress from the 380th Strategic Aerospace Wing, Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York on a secret airborne nuclear alert crashed and burned on the ice near Thule Air Base.
Facts about McArthur River Mine Airport (MCV):
- The furthest airport from McArthur River Mine Airport (MCV) is Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport (CAY), which is located 11,451 miles (18,428 kilometers) away in Cayenne, French Guiana.
- The closest airport to McArthur River Mine Airport (MCV) is Borroloola Airport (BOX), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) NNE of MCV.
- McArthur River Mine Airport (MCV) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of McArthur River Mine Airport's relatively low elevation of 136 feet, planes can take off or land at McArthur River Mine 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.
