Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Coningsby, England, United Kingdom:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to QCY:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- QCY Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about QCY
- 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 QCY
- List of Nearest Airports to QCY
- Map of Furthest Airports from QCY
- List of Furthest Airports from QCY
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and RAF Coningsby (QCY), Coningsby, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,351 miles (or 3,783 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 RAF Coningsby, 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: | QCY / EGXC |
| Airport Name: | RAF Coningsby |
| Location: | Coningsby, England, United Kingdom |
| GPS Coordinates: | 53°5'35"N by 0°9'57"W |
| Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
| View all routes: | Routes from QCY |
| More Information: | QCY Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States bases.
Facts about RAF Coningsby (QCY):
- Coningsby was the first airfield to receive the Phantoms, the Tornado ADV and was the first to receive its replacement, the Eurofighter Typhoon.
- The closest airport to RAF Coningsby (QCY) is RAF Binbrook (GSY), which is located 24 miles (39 kilometers) N of QCY.
- The furthest airport from RAF Coningsby (QCY) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,781 miles (18,959 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
- Also based at Coningsby is the RAF's Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit, a merger of the Strike/Attack OEU, the Tornado F.3 OEU and the Air-Guided Weapons OEU.
- The station is also home to No.
