Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Salem, Illinois, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from THU to SLO:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- SLO Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about SLO
- 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 SLO
- List of Nearest Airports to SLO
- Map of Furthest Airports from SLO
- List of Furthest Airports from SLO
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Salem–Leckrone Airport (SLO), Salem, Illinois, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,690 miles (or 4,328 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 Salem–Leckrone 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 Salem–Leckrone 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: |
|
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: | SLO / KSLO |
Airport Name: | Salem–Leckrone Airport |
Location: | Salem, Illinois, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 38°38'34"N by 88°57'51"W |
Area Served: | Salem, Illinois |
Operator/Owner: | Salem Airport Authority |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 573 feet (175 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SLO |
More Information: | SLO Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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 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.
- Thule is the location where the fastest recorded sea level surface wind speed in the world was measured when a peak speed of 333 kilometres per hour was recorded on 8 March 1972 prior to the instrument's destruction.
Facts about Salem–Leckrone Airport (SLO):
- The furthest airport from Salem–Leckrone Airport (SLO) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,062 miles (17,802 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Because of Salem–Leckrone Airport's relatively low elevation of 573 feet, planes can take off or land at Salem–Leckrone 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.
- Salem–Leckrone Airport (SLO) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Salem–Leckrone Airport (SLO) is Mt. Vernon Airport (MVN), which is located 23 miles (37 kilometers) SSE of SLO.