Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Kayenta, Arizona, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Kayenta Airport (MVM), Kayenta, Arizona, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,030 miles (or 4,876 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 Kayenta 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 Kayenta Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):

• Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
• In 1954, the 378 m Globecom Tower, a tower for military radio communication, was built at Northmountain.
• 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.
• Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
• 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 Air Base has served as the regional hub for nearby installations, including Cape Atholl, Camp Century, Camp TUTO, Sites 1 and 2, P-Mountain, J-Site, North and South Mountains, and a research rocket firing site.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• A delegation from NATO's Parliamentary Assembly visited Thule in early September 2010 and were told by the base commander that, at that time, approximately 600 personnel were serving at Thule, a mix of mostly U.S.

Facts about Kayenta Airport (MVM):

• Because of Kayenta Airport's high elevation of 5,688 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at MVM. Combined with a high temperature, this could make MVM a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• Kayenta Airport (MVM) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Kayenta Airport", another name for MVM is "0V7".
• The furthest airport from Kayenta Airport (MVM) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,203 miles (18,029 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• The closest airport to Kayenta Airport (MVM) is Bullfrog Basin Airport (BFG), which is located 63 miles (102 kilometers) NNW of MVM.