Nonstop flight route between Pituffik, Greenland and Sumter, South Carolina, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from THU to SUM:
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- About this route
- THU Airport Information
- SUM Airport Information
- Facts about THU
- Facts about SUM
- 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 SUM
- List of Nearest Airports to SUM
- Map of Furthest Airports from SUM
- List of Furthest Airports from SUM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Thule Air Base (THU), Pituffik, Greenland and Sumter Airport (SUM), Sumter, South Carolina, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,962 miles (or 4,767 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 Sumter 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 Sumter 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: |
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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: | SUM / KSMS |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Sumter, South Carolina, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°59'41"N by 80°21'41"W |
Area Served: | Sumter, South Carolina |
Operator/Owner: | City & County of Sumter |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 182 feet (55 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from SUM |
More Information: | SUM Maps & Info |
Facts about Thule Air Base (THU):
- In the winter of 1956/57 three KC-97 tankers and alternately one of two RB-47H aircraft made polar flights to inspect Soviet defenses.
- The closest airport to Thule Air Base (THU) is Savissivik Heliport (SVR), which is located 69 miles (111 kilometers) ESE of THU.
- A delegation from NATO's Parliamentary Assembly visited Thule in early September 2010 and were told by the base commander that, at that time, approximately 600 personnel were serving at Thule, a mix of mostly U.S.
- Thule Air Base or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport, is the United States Air Force's northernmost base, located 1,207 km north of the Arctic Circle and 1,524 km from the North Pole on the northwest side of the island of Greenland.
- The ratification of the treaty in 1951 did not change much, except that the Danish national flag Dannebrog must be side by side with Stars and Stripes on the base.
- In 1949, Denmark joined NATO and abandoned its attempt to remove the United States bases.
- In addition to being known as "Thule Air Base", another name for THU is "Thule AB".
- After liberation, Denmark ratified the Kauffmann treaty but began efforts to take over U.S.
- 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.
- 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 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.
Facts about Sumter Airport (SUM):
- Sumter Airport (SUM) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Sumter Airport (SUM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,552 miles (18,590 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Because of Sumter Airport's relatively low elevation of 182 feet, planes can take off or land at Sumter 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.
- In addition to being known as "Sumter Airport", another name for SUM is "SMS".
- The closest airport to Sumter Airport (SUM) is Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) WSW of SUM.