The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 3:03 am MDT (09:03 UTC)

Albuquerque International Sunport to Willow Run Airport ABQ → YIP

1,161 nautical miles (1,336 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 061°, about 050° magnetic at the departure end (variation 11E). At 120 knots that is 6 h 27 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 60-knot tailwind), arriving about 11:30 am EDT (15:30 UTC). For planning, not a briefing: the legal preflight briefing comes from Flight Service (1-800-WX-BRIEF) or the FAA's own tools. Airlines fly this pair: 2 flights in the DOT's last twelve reported months, the route's page.

The return flight

The route the straight line, the warnings crossed, restrictions, pilot reports and the airports along the way · click a mark for its words

Green, blue, red and purple airport dots are the flying conditions reported there now (VFR, marginal VFR, IFR, low IFR); grey means no report. Red areas are SIGMETs, orange areas AIRMETs, hatched red areas temporary flight restrictions. Map tiles: OpenFreeMap, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Warnings the route crosses SIGMETs and AIRMETs whose area the line passes through or comes within 25 nm of

  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 34,000 ft to 43,000 ft. Over the first 179 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 22,000 ft. Over the route from 60 to 79 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 2W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). Over the route from 99 to 814 nm out.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist, fog). Over the last 109 nm of the route.

A SIGMET warns of weather hazardous to all aircraft; an AIRMET of weather that matters to small aircraft and to flying without instruments. "From 60 to 180 nm out" is measured along the route from ABQ.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

Not fetched just now.

Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 08:00–15:00 UTC · at 120 knots true airspeed

The eastbound cruising heights for this course (VFR: odd thousands plus 500 ft; above 18,000 ft the forecast levels), with the wind averaged along the line from the 11 forecast points nearest it (ABQ, TCC, AMA, GCK, SLN, MKC, COU, BRL, JOT, FWA, CLE). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
3,500 ft240° at 32 kt−33 kt153 kt7 h 35 min12:38 pm EDT (16:38 UTC)
5,500 ft250° at 26 kt−26 kt22 °C146 kt7 h 57 min1:00 pm EDT (17:00 UTC)
7,500 ft240° at 22 kt−22 kt14 °C142 kt8 h 11 min1:14 pm EDT (17:14 UTC)
9,500 ft240° at 20 kt−21 kt11 °C141 kt8 h 14 min1:17 pm EDT (17:17 UTC)
11,500 ft240° at 22 kt−22 kt6 °C142 kt8 h 11 min1:14 pm EDT (17:14 UTC)
13,500 ft240° at 24 kt−24 kt2 °C144 kt8 h 04 min1:07 pm EDT (17:07 UTC)
15,500 ft250° at 26 kt−27 kt-2 °C147 kt7 h 54 min12:57 pm EDT (16:57 UTC)
17,500 ft250° at 29 kt−30 kt-6 °C150 kt7 h 44 min12:47 pm EDT (16:47 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180250° at 30 kt−30 kt-7 °C150 kt7 h 44 min12:47 pm EDT (16:47 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240250° at 41 kt−42 kt-19 °C162 kt7 h 10 min12:13 pm EDT (16:13 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300260° at 60 kt−59 kt-31 °C179 kt6 h 29 min11:32 am EDT (15:32 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340270° at 62 kt−60 kt-39 °C180 kt6 h 27 min11:30 am EDT (15:30 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390270° at 60 kt−56 kt-49 °C176 kt6 h 36 min11:39 am EDT (15:39 UTC)

Based on data from the 12th at 06:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 12:00 UTC for use 08:00 to 15:00 UTC; temperatures above 24,000 ft are below zero. Heights are above sea level; a height is left out when the forecast has no wind for it over most of the line (the ground is higher). Ground speed is the airspeed less the headwind; the time en route is for the straight line and ignores climb, descent and routing around weather.

The forecast points as issued
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
ABQused from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line220/19 9°220/35 3°230/50 -8°240/64 -19°230/83 -26°230/85 -36°230/80 -48°
TCCused from 99 nm out; 62 nm from the line240/20230/22 13°230/27 6°230/40 -7°240/55 -18°240/74 -27°240/68 -37°250/64 -49°
AMAused from 198 nm out; 101 nm from the line230/32230/28 14°230/27 7°230/38 -6°230/50 -17°250/69 -28°260/62 -37°270/65 -49°
GCKused from 248 nm out; 64 nm from the line240/40 22°240/40 14°240/38 7°230/39 -7°230/45 -20°250/73 -28°260/74 -36°260/64 -49°
SLNused from 397 nm out; 64 nm from the line230/49240/41 22°230/26 15°220/21 7°240/38 -8°240/44 -21°260/77 -29°270/70 -36°270/63 -48°
MKCused from 546 nm out; 59 nm from the line240/49240/21 20°220/19 13°230/21 6°260/26 -7°250/37 -19°270/66 -31°270/65 -38°280/60 -48°
COUused from 694 nm out; 80 nm from the line250/36260/14 16°250/5 12°260/12 6°260/24 -7°260/35 -19°280/58 -31°280/62 -40°290/60 -49°
BRLused from 744 nm out; 42 nm from the line250/32250/19 17°260/15 11°270/16 3°290/23 -7°260/42 -20°270/52 -34°280/63 -39°290/64 -48°
JOTused from 893 nm out; 35 nm from the line250/25260/22 14°250/17 9°270/21 5°280/28 -8°280/36 -20°270/41 -35°280/57 -42°290/65 -50°
FWAused from 1042 nm out; 54 nm from the line270/20300/16 15°290/14 10°280/17 3°290/25 -7°280/30 -19°280/34 -35°290/48 -44°300/64 -52°
CLEused from 1141 nm out; 97 nm from the line310/7350/20 14°340/16 9°320/21 2°320/32 -8°330/34 -20°330/45 -36°320/60 -45°320/64 -51°

The weather now: both ends and the airports along the way public airports with a weather report within 25 nm of the line, one for each stretch

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
ABQ Albuquerque, NM departure no report just now 5,354 ft
SAF Santa Fe, NM 40 nm out, 18 nm northwest of the line, tower no report just now 6,348 ft
CAO Clayton, NM 189 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line no report just now 4,969 ft
EHA Elkhart, KS 258 nm out, 1 nm southeast of the line no report just now 3,621 ft
HUT Hutchinson, KS 456 nm out, 23 nm southeast of the line, tower no report just now 1,542 ft
TOP Topeka, KS 575 nm out, 9 nm southeast of the line, tower no report just now 881 ft
MCI Kansas City, MO 625 nm out, 12 nm south of the line, tower no report just now 1,027 ft
IRK Kirksville, MO 734 nm out, 3 nm south of the line no report just now 966 ft
PIA Peoria, IL 873 nm out, 14 nm south of the line, tower no report just now 660 ft
SBN South Bend, IN 1032 nm out, 2 nm north of the line, tower no report just now 798 ft
JXN Jackson, MI 1121 nm out, 12 nm north of the line, tower no report just now 1,000 ft
YIP Detroit, MI destination no report just now 715 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 6,348 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At YIP when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 11:30 am EDT (15:30 UTC)

YIP has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.

Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it

No temporary flight restriction on or near this route right now.

Daylight

Sunset at ABQ 6:34 pm MDT (00:34 UTC), at YIP 6:57 pm EDT (22:57 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:25 pm EDT (23:25 UTC)).

Each restriction opens the FAA's own page with the exact area, heights and times. Ordinary notices to air missions (closed runways, lights out) are not shown: the FAA's notice search is not open to sites like this one at this time.

Radar and forecast charts for the regions crossed government pictures, the latest each time the page loads

Radar now, the southern Rockies
Radar now, the southern Rockies · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the southern Plains
Radar now, the southern Plains · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar, the whole country
Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service
Surface analysis now
Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

Sources: the Aviation Weather Center's data service (SIGMETs, AIRMETs, graphical AIRMETs, pilot reports, winds and temperatures aloft, observations and terminal forecasts), the National Weather Service radar, the Weather Prediction Center's charts, the FAA's temporary flight restriction list and shapes, and the FAA's airport file for the positions, elevations and magnetic variation. Fetched when the page is viewed and kept a few minutes. Each leg is the straight line between its two airports; airways, terrain and airspace are not considered. The airports in detail: Albuquerque International Sunport, Willow Run Airport.