Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Shelbyville, Tennessee, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Shelbyville Municipal Airport (SYI), Shelbyville, Tennessee, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,885 miles (or 4,643 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 Shelbyville Municipal 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 Shelbyville Municipal Airport. 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):

• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
• 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.
• Thule Air Base is also home to the 821st Air Base Group and is responsible for air base support within the Thule Defense Area for the multinational population of "Team Thule." The base hosts the 12th Space Warning Squadron which operates a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System designed to detect and track ICBMs launched against North America.
• A cluster of huts known as Pituffik stood on the wide plain where the base was built in 1951.
• 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.

Facts about Shelbyville Municipal Airport (SYI):

• The closest airport to Shelbyville Municipal Airport (SYI) is Tullahoma Regional Airport (THA), which is located only 17 miles (27 kilometers) SE of SYI.
• Shelbyville Municipal Airport (SYI) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Shelbyville Municipal Airport's relatively low elevation of 801 feet, planes can take off or land at Shelbyville Municipal 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 Shelbyville Municipal Airport (SYI) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,211 miles (18,042 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• In addition to being known as "Shelbyville Municipal Airport", another name for SYI is "Bomar Field".