Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Waterville, Maine, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to WVL:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- WVL Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about WVL
- 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 WVL
- List of Nearest Airports to WVL
- Map of Furthest Airports from WVL
- List of Furthest Airports from WVL
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Waterville Robert Lafleur Airport (WVL), Waterville, Maine, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,211 miles (or 3,558 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 Waterville Robert Lafleur Airport, 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: | WVL / KWVL |
| Airport Name: | Waterville Robert Lafleur Airport |
| Location: | Waterville, Maine, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 44°31'59"N by 69°40'32"W |
| Operator/Owner: | City of Waterville |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 333 feet (101 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from WVL |
| More Information: | WVL Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (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.
- 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.
- In 1959, the airbase was the main staging point for the construction of Camp Century, some 150 mi from the base.
- 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.
- After liberation, Denmark ratified the Kauffmann treaty but began efforts to take over U.S.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- In 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.
- Thule AB was constructed in secret under the code name Operation Blue Jay, but the project was made public in September 1952.
- 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".
- 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.
Facts about Waterville Robert Lafleur Airport (WVL):
- The closest airport to Waterville Robert Lafleur Airport (WVL) is Central Maine Airport of Norridgewock (OWK), which is located only 16 miles (25 kilometers) NW of WVL.
- Because of Waterville Robert Lafleur Airport's relatively low elevation of 333 feet, planes can take off or land at Waterville Robert Lafleur 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.
- Waterville Robert Lafleur Airport (WVL) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Waterville Robert Lafleur Airport (WVL) is Albany Airport (ALH), which is located 11,665 miles (18,773 kilometers) away in Albany, Western Australia, Australia.
