Houston County to Sleetmute Airport CHU → SLQ
2,493 nautical miles (2,869 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 319°, about 318° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1E). At 120 knots that is 20 h 16 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 3-knot tailwind), arriving about 1:26 am AKDT (09:26 UTC), after sunset at the destination. 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: 32 flights in the DOT's last twelve reported months, the route's page.
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 SIERRA 4E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 189 to 449 nm out.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 429 to 439 nm out.
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 CHU.
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 westbound cruising heights for this course (VFR: even thousands plus 500 ft; above 18,000 ft the forecast levels), with the wind averaged along the line from the 8 forecast points nearest it (LSE, MSP, AXN, GFK, MOT, GGW, GPI, SEA). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,500 ft | 070° at 3 kt | −3 kt | -1 °C | 123 kt | 20 h 16 min | 1:26 am AKDT (09:26 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 070° at 2 kt | −3 kt | 2 °C | 123 kt | 20 h 16 min | 1:26 am AKDT (09:26 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | light and variable | −2 kt | 0 °C | 122 kt | 20 h 26 min | 1:36 am AKDT (09:36 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 310° at 4 kt | −1 kt | -2 °C | 121 kt | 20 h 36 min | 1:46 am AKDT (09:46 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 320° at 8 kt | +1 kt | -4 °C | 119 kt | 20 h 57 min | 2:07 am AKDT (10:07 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 330° at 10 kt | +2 kt | -8 °C | 118 kt | 21 h 08 min | 2:18 am AKDT (10:18 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 330° at 13 kt | +2 kt | -11 °C | 118 kt | 21 h 08 min | 2:18 am AKDT (10:18 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 340° at 16 kt | +3 kt | -14 °C | 117 kt | 21 h 18 min | 2:28 am AKDT (10:28 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 310° at 21 kt | +10 kt | -25 °C | 110 kt | 22 h 40 min | 3:50 am AKDT (11:50 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 310° at 18 kt | +6 kt | -39 °C | 114 kt | 21 h 52 min | 3:02 am AKDT (11:02 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 290° at 29 kt | +17 kt | -44 °C | 103 kt | 24 h 12 min | 5:22 am AKDT (13:22 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 270° at 32 kt | +19 kt | -45 °C | 101 kt | 24 h 41 min | 5:51 am AKDT (13:51 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
| Point | From | 3,000 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 18,000 | 24,000 | 30,000 | 34,000 | 39,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSE | used from 0 nm out; 27 nm from the line | 250/25 | 240/21 17° | 240/28 11° | 250/28 5° | 280/24 -10° | 280/31 -21° | 260/35 -37° | 270/45 -43° | 280/59 -47° |
| MSP | used from 50 nm out; 32 nm from the line | 250/12 | 250/17 17° | 240/26 12° | 250/26 5° | 280/26 -9° | 280/32 -22° | 270/37 -38° | 280/47 -41° | 280/55 -48° |
| AXN | used from 150 nm out; 49 nm from the line | 110/6 | 260/10 16° | 240/17 12° | 250/20 5° | 260/29 -10° | 260/35 -22° | 260/29 -38° | 270/48 -41° | 270/61 -48° |
| GFK | used from 299 nm out; 29 nm from the line | 080/18 | L/V 11° | 260/22 7° | 250/48 3° | 260/51 -11° | 250/44 -22° | 260/34 -38° | 260/53 -44° | 270/66 -49° |
| MOT | used from 449 nm out; 98 nm from the line | 120/14 4° | 190/25 5° | 220/41 1° | 240/43 -11° | 230/39 -22° | 220/44 -38° | 240/62 -42° | 250/73 -48° | |
| GGW | used from 698 nm out; 250 nm from the line | 100/7 -1° | 070/10 -3° | 190/6 -4° | 210/34 -10° | 230/33 -24° | 210/48 -37° | 230/65 -40° | 230/71 -46° | |
| GPI | used from 997 nm out; 426 nm from the line | 090/8 -4° | 140/7 -7° | 090/10 -8° | 110/10 -19° | 210/25 -30° | 200/24 -40° | 210/31 -39° | 210/35 -42° | |
| SEA | used from 1446 nm out; 681 nm from the line | 350/5 | 010/6 0° | 010/9 -4° | 010/27 -6° | 010/51 -15° | 360/58 -26° | 360/60 -41° | 350/55 -48° | 340/30 -45° |
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
| Airport | Where | Conditions | Wind | Visibility | Ceiling | Elevation | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHU Caledonia, MN | departure | no report just now | 1,179 ft | ||||
| MIC Minneapolis, MN | 120 nm out, 2 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 869 ft | ||||
| GFK Grand Forks, ND | 349 nm out, 5 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 845 ft | ||||
| CYQH Watson Lake, | 1665 nm out, 7 nm north of the line | no report just now | 2,225 ft | ||||
| CYXY Whitehorse, | 1855 nm out, 12 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 2,317 ft | ||||
| SMU Sheep Mountain, AK | 2224 nm out, 5 nm east of the line | no report just now | 2,750 ft | ||||
| UUO Willow, AK | 2294 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 215 ft | ||||
| SLQ Sleetmute, AK | destination | no report just now | 191 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,750 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At SLQ when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:26 am AKDT (09:26 UTC)
SLQ has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/6656 ANOKA, MN, Monday, October 5, 2026 through Monday, October 19, 2026 Local 5 nm from the route, 130 nm along the route · security · until 19 October · ZMP
- 6/4348 GRAND FORKS AFB, ND, Sunday, March 8, 2026 through Sunday, November 1, 2026 Local on the route, 369 nm along the route · security · until 1 November · ZMP
- 6/8889 Anchorage, AK, Tuesday, October 13, 2026 through Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Local 5 nm from the route, 2284 nm along the route · a VIP movement · starts tomorrow · ZAN
Daylight
Sunset at CHU 6:28 pm CDT (23:28 UTC), at SLQ 7:21 pm AKDT (03:21 UTC) (civil twilight ends 8:05 pm AKDT (04:05 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at SLQ is before sunrise there (9:06 am AKDT (17:06 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
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: Houston County, Sleetmute Airport.