Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Pell City, Alabama, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to PLR:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- PLR Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about PLR
- 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 PLR
- List of Nearest Airports to PLR
- Map of Furthest Airports from PLR
- List of Furthest Airports from PLR
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and St. Clair County Airport (PLR), Pell City, Alabama, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,021 miles (or 4,862 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 St. Clair County 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 St. Clair County 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: | PLR / KPLR |
| Airport Name: | St. Clair County Airport |
| Location: | Pell City, Alabama, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 33°33'32"N by 86°14'57"W |
| Area Served: | Pell City, Alabama |
| Operator/Owner: | St. Clair County Airport Authority |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 485 feet (148 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from PLR |
| More Information: | PLR Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (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.
- 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".
- In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- There is only a brief period each year in the summer when sea ice thins sufficiently to send supply ships to the base.
Facts about St. Clair County Airport (PLR):
- Sammies Touch-n-Go restaurant is located on the North end of the airport.
- The closest airport to St. Clair County Airport (PLR) is Talladega Municipal Airport (ASN), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) E of PLR.
- The furthest airport from St. Clair County Airport (PLR) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,212 miles (18,044 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- St. Clair County Airport (PLR) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of St. Clair County Airport's relatively low elevation of 485 feet, planes can take off or land at St. Clair County 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.
