Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Wrightstown, New Jersey, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to WRI:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- WRI Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about WRI
- 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 WRI
- List of Nearest Airports to WRI
- Map of Furthest Airports from WRI
- List of Furthest Airports from WRI
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and McGuire AFB (WRI), Wrightstown, New Jersey, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,529 miles (or 4,070 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 McGuire AFB, 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 McGuire AFB. 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: | WRI / KWRI |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Wrightstown, New Jersey, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 40°0'56"N by 74°35'30"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from WRI |
| More Information: | WRI 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.
- 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.
- Thule Air Base is home to the 21st Space Wing's global network of sensors providing missile warning, space surveillance and space control to North American Aerospace Defense Command and Air Force Space Command.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- 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.
- Thule became an Air Force Space Command base in 1982.
Facts about McGuire AFB (WRI):
- In addition to being known as "McGuire AFB", another name for WRI is "McGuire AFB/JB MDL McGuire".
- The closest airport to McGuire AFB (WRI) is JB MDL Lakehurst (NEL), which is located only 13 miles (20 kilometers) E of WRI.
- In late 1942, Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command took up tenant status at Fort Dix AAB.
- The furthest airport from McGuire AFB (WRI) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,757 miles (18,921 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- With the departure of the 91st SRW, control of McGuire AFB was reassigned to Continental Air Command.
- In 1959, Air Defense Command deployed the CIM-10 Bomarc surface-to-air missile to McGuire AFB.
- The host unit at McGuire AFB is the 87th Air Base Wing, United States Air Force Expeditionary Center, AMC..
