Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Newport News, Virginia, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to PHF:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- PHF Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about PHF
- 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 PHF
- List of Nearest Airports to PHF
- Map of Furthest Airports from PHF
- List of Furthest Airports from PHF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF), Newport News, Virginia, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,733 miles (or 4,398 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 Newport News/Williamsburg International 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 Newport News/Williamsburg International 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: | PHF / KPHF |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Newport News, Virginia, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 37°7'54"N by 76°29'35"W |
| Area Served: | Virginia Peninsula |
| Operator/Owner: | The Peninsula Airport Commission |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 43 feet (13 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from PHF |
| More Information: | PHF 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- After the German occupation of Denmark on 9 April 1940, Henrik Kauffmann Danish Ambassador to the United States, made an agreement "In the name of the king" with the United States authorizing the United States to defend the Danish colonies on Greenland from German aggression - this agreement faced Kaufmann with a charge of high treason.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- The ratification of the treaty in 1951 did not change much, except that the Danish national flag Dannebrog must be side by side with Stars and Stripes on the base.
- In 1959, the airbase was the main staging point for the construction of Camp Century, some 150 mi from the base.
Facts about Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF):
- Because of Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport's relatively low elevation of 43 feet, planes can take off or land at Newport News/Williamsburg International 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.
- In addition to being known as "Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport", another name for PHF is "Patrick Henry Field".
- Until the 1990s, part of the original terminal building was named Flight Services Building, and home to the National Weather Service.
- In 1951, the original passenger terminal was damaged by a fire.
- The airport has handled more than one million passengers every year since 2005.
- Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF) has 2 runways.
- In January 2011, Delta Air Lines provided two additional daily flights to Atlanta using 142-seat MD-88 aircraft, for a total of four.
- The furthest airport from Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,749 miles (18,908 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The closest airport to Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF) is Langley Field (LFI), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) ESE of PHF.
