Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and San Diego / El Cajon, California, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to SEE:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- SEE Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about SEE
- 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 SEE
- List of Nearest Airports to SEE
- Map of Furthest Airports from SEE
- List of Furthest Airports from SEE
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Gillespie Field (SEE), San Diego / El Cajon, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,378 miles (or 5,437 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 Gillespie Field, 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 Gillespie Field. 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: |
|
| 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: | SEE / KSEE |
| Airport Name: | Gillespie Field |
| Location: | San Diego / El Cajon, California, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 32°49'33"N by 116°58'20"W |
| Area Served: | San Diego, California |
| Operator/Owner: | County of San Diego |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 388 feet (118 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SEE |
| More Information: | SEE Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- A board of Air Force officers headed by Gordon P.
- Knud Rasmussen was the first to recognize the Pituffik plain as ideal for an airport.
- 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.
- Thule became an Air Force Space Command base in 1982.
- 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.
Facts about Gillespie Field (SEE):
- In February 1944, the camp was commissioned as Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Gillespie under the command of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro.
- The closest airport to Gillespie Field (SEE) is Montgomery Field (MYF), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) W of SEE.
- Gillespie Field (SEE) has 3 runways.
- Gillespie is the home of the restoration facility Gillespie Field Annex for the San Diego Air and Space Museum.
- The furthest airport from Gillespie Field (SEE) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,534 miles (18,562 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- In 1946 the airfield was turned over to San Diego County and became a general aviation facility.
- Because of Gillespie Field's relatively low elevation of 388 feet, planes can take off or land at Gillespie Field 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.
