Detroit Metro Wayne County to Ted Stevens Anchorage International DTW → ANC
2,588 nautical miles (2,978 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 320°, about 327° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7W). At 120 knots that is 21 h 02 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 3-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:29 am AKDT (08:29 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: 234 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 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the first 80 nm of the route.
- 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 140 to 190 nm out.
- 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 320 to 539 nm out.
- AIRMET ZULU 3C: moderate icing from 13,000 ft to 24,000 ft. Over the route from 370 to 480 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 DTW.
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 11 forecast points nearest it (CLE, MKG, TVC, GRB, DLH, INL, 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 2 kt | −3 kt | -1 °C | 123 kt | 21 h 02 min | 12:29 am AKDT (08:29 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | light and variable | −1 kt | 3 °C | 121 kt | 21 h 23 min | 12:50 am AKDT (08:50 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 250° at 4 kt | 0 | 1 °C | 120 kt | 21 h 34 min | 1:01 am AKDT (09:01 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 280° at 7 kt | +2 kt | -1 °C | 118 kt | 21 h 56 min | 1:23 am AKDT (09:23 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 290° at 11 kt | +5 kt | -3 °C | 115 kt | 22 h 30 min | 1:57 am AKDT (09:57 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 300° at 13 kt | +6 kt | -7 °C | 114 kt | 22 h 42 min | 2:09 am AKDT (10:09 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 310° at 16 kt | +8 kt | -11 °C | 112 kt | 23 h 06 min | 2:33 am AKDT (10:33 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 310° at 18 kt | +9 kt | -13 °C | 111 kt | 23 h 19 min | 2:46 am AKDT (10:46 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 300° at 24 kt | +15 kt | -25 °C | 105 kt | 24 h 39 min | 4:06 am AKDT (12:06 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 300° at 23 kt | +14 kt | -39 °C | 106 kt | 24 h 25 min | 3:52 am AKDT (11:52 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 32 kt | +22 kt | -44 °C | 98 kt | 26 h 24 min | 5:51 am AKDT (13:51 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 270° at 40 kt | +30 kt | -47 °C | 90 kt | 28 h 45 min | 8:12 am AKDT (16:12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | used from 0 nm out; 107 nm from the line | 310/7 | 350/20 14° | 340/16 9° | 320/21 2° | 320/32 -8° | 330/34 -20° | 330/45 -36° | 320/60 -45° | 320/64 -51° |
| MKG | used from 50 nm out; 78 nm from the line | 260/28 | 260/18 15° | 250/16 9° | 260/22 4° | 280/31 -9° | 270/35 -21° | 270/44 -35° | 270/42 -45° | 290/61 -51° |
| TVC | used from 150 nm out; 27 nm from the line | 270/31 | 280/23 15° | 260/22 8° | 260/29 4° | 280/29 -11° | 280/42 -21° | 270/42 -36° | 270/54 -47° | 290/67 -51° |
| GRB | used from 250 nm out; 72 nm from the line | 250/32 | 250/22 17° | 240/18 8° | 280/21 6° | 280/34 -11° | 280/35 -21° | 280/39 -37° | 270/52 -45° | 290/60 -49° |
| DLH | used from 350 nm out; 120 nm from the line | 090/31 | 250/7 14° | 250/26 11° | 250/36 4° | 280/36 -11° | 290/35 -22° | 300/39 -38° | 280/41 -44° | 280/66 -49° |
| INL | used from 500 nm out; 59 nm from the line | 090/25 | L/V 8° | 250/20 6° | 270/32 1° | 270/44 -11° | 280/48 -22° | 280/56 -38° | 270/50 -47° | 280/83 -50° |
| GFK | used from 749 nm out; 204 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 849 nm out; 265 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 1099 nm out; 405 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 1349 nm out; 534 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 1748 nm out; 731 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DTW Detroit, MI | departure | no report just now | 645 ft | ||||
| PTK Pontiac, MI | 20 nm out, 16 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 980 ft | ||||
| OGM Ontonagon, MI | 380 nm out, 2 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 665 ft | ||||
| CYIB Atikokan, | 530 nm out, 17 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 1,408 ft | ||||
| CYQH Watson Lake, | 1968 nm out, 23 nm south of the line | no report just now | 2,225 ft | ||||
| CYXY Whitehorse, | 2148 nm out, 21 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 2,317 ft | ||||
| 15Z Mccarthy, AK | 2378 nm out, 8 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 1,532 ft | ||||
| ANC Anchorage, AK | destination | no report just now | 151 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,317 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At ANC when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:29 am AKDT (08:29 UTC)
ANC has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8665 9NM E HERMAN, MI, Friday, October 9, 2026 through Tuesday, October 13, 2026 UTC 20 nm from the route, 340 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · until 13 October · ZMP
- 6/8889 Anchorage, AK, Tuesday, October 13, 2026 through Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Local on the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · starts tomorrow · ZAN
- 6/8772 Anchorage, AK, Tuesday, October 13, 2026 through Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Local 4 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · starts tomorrow · ZAN
Daylight
Sunset at DTW 6:56 pm EDT (22:56 UTC), at ANC 6:54 pm AKDT (02:54 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:37 pm AKDT (03:37 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at ANC is after sunset there (6:57 pm AKDT (02:57 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: Detroit Metro Wayne County, Ted Stevens Anchorage International.