Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Salem, Oregon, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and McNary Field (SLE), Salem, Oregon, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,659 miles (or 4,279 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 McNary 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 McNary Field. 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):

• 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 1957 construction began on 4 Nike Missile sites around the base, and they and their radar systems were operational by the end of 1958.
• Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
• 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.
• The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
• In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
• 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.

Facts about McNary Field (SLE):

• Because of McNary Field's relatively low elevation of 214 feet, planes can take off or land at McNary 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.
• United Airlines was the first airline at Salem, in the 1940s.
• In addition to being known as "McNary Field", another name for SLE is "Salem Municipal AirportSalem Army Airfield".
• McNary Field is in Marion County, Oregon, two miles southeast of Salem, which owns it.
• McNary Field (SLE) has 2 runways.
• McNary Field covers 751 acres at an elevation of 214 feet.
• The furthest airport from McNary Field (SLE) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,954 miles (17,628 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• The closest airport to McNary Field (SLE) is Corvallis Municipal Airport (CVO), which is located 32 miles (51 kilometers) SSW of SLE.