Nonstop flight route between Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands and Pituffik, Greenland:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from VIJ to THU:
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- About this route
- VIJ Airport Information
- THU Airport Information
- Facts about VIJ
- Facts about THU
- Map of Nearest Airports to VIJ
- List of Nearest Airports to VIJ
- Map of Furthest Airports from VIJ
- List of Furthest Airports from VIJ
- Map of Nearest Airports to THU
- List of Nearest Airports to THU
- Map of Furthest Airports from THU
- List of Furthest Airports from THU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Virgin Gorda Airport (VIJ), Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands and Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,016 miles (or 6,463 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 Virgin Gorda Airport and Thule Air Base, 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 Virgin Gorda Airport and Thule Air Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | VIJ / TUPW |
Airport Name: | Virgin Gorda Airport |
Location: | Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands |
GPS Coordinates: | 18°26'44"N by 64°25'41"W |
Area Served: | Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda |
Operator/Owner: | BVIAA |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 14 feet (4 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from VIJ |
More Information: | VIJ Maps & Info |
Arrival 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 |
Facts about Virgin Gorda Airport (VIJ):
- Virgin Gorda Airport (VIJ) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Virgin Gorda Airport (VIJ) is Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) E of VIJ.
- Because of Virgin Gorda Airport's relatively low elevation of 14 feet, planes can take off or land at Virgin Gorda 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.
- The furthest airport from Virgin Gorda Airport (VIJ) is Barrow Island Airport (BWB), which is nearly antipodal to Virgin Gorda Airport (meaning Virgin Gorda Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Barrow Island Airport), and is located 12,269 miles (19,745 kilometers) away in Barrow Island, Western Australia, Australia.
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- 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.
- 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.
- 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".
- In 1961, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar was constructed at "J-Site," 21 km northeast of main base.
- In 1959, the airbase was the main staging point for the construction of Camp Century, some 150 mi from the base.
- In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States bases.
- In 1818, Sir John Ross’s expedition made first contact with nomadic Polar Eskimos in the area.