Delta County to Detroit Metro Wayne County ESC → DTW
266 nautical miles (306 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 141°, about 146° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5W). At 120 knots that is 1 h 34 min at the quickest height in today's winds (30,000 ft, a 50-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:49 pm EDT (02:49 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now ESC is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (200°) at 8 knots; DTW is marginal VFR, wind from the north (350°) at 3 knots. 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: 677 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 last 39 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 ESC.
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 20:00–03:00 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 3 forecast points nearest it (TVC, MKG, CLE). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,500 ft | 230° at 9 kt | 0 | 120 kt | 2 h 13 min | 11:28 pm EDT (03:28 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 290° at 10 kt | −9 kt | 129 kt | 2 h 04 min | 11:19 pm EDT (03:19 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 310° at 15 kt | −15 kt | 12 °C | 135 kt | 1 h 58 min | 11:13 pm EDT (03:13 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 310° at 19 kt | −19 kt | 8 °C | 139 kt | 1 h 55 min | 11:10 pm EDT (03:10 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 310° at 19 kt | −18 kt | 3 °C | 138 kt | 1 h 56 min | 11:11 pm EDT (03:11 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 310° at 20 kt | −19 kt | -1 °C | 139 kt | 1 h 55 min | 11:10 pm EDT (03:10 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 310° at 21 kt | −21 kt | -6 °C | 141 kt | 1 h 53 min | 11:08 pm EDT (03:08 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 310° at 23 kt | −22 kt | -10 °C | 142 kt | 1 h 52 min | 11:07 pm EDT (03:07 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 310° at 23 kt | −22 kt | -11 °C | 142 kt | 1 h 52 min | 11:07 pm EDT (03:07 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 320° at 34 kt | −34 kt | -22 °C | 154 kt | 1 h 44 min | 10:59 pm EDT (02:59 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 320° at 50 kt | −50 kt | -38 °C | 170 kt | 1 h 34 min | 10:49 pm EDT (02:49 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 310° at 42 kt | −42 kt | -48 °C | 162 kt | 1 h 39 min | 10:54 pm EDT (02:54 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 290° at 56 kt | −49 kt | -50 °C | 169 kt | 1 h 34 min | 10:49 pm EDT (02:49 UTC) |
Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TVC | used from 0 nm out; 63 nm from the line | 210/17 | 290/14 15° | 310/20 9° | 310/18 2° | 310/24 -11° | 320/35 -22° | 320/53 -39° | 310/45 -49° | 290/58 -51° |
| MKG | used from 148 nm out; 73 nm from the line | 250/5 | 320/10 15° | 310/19 9° | 320/21 3° | 310/23 -10° | 330/37 -22° | 330/51 -38° | 320/44 -47° | 300/60 -49° |
| CLE | used from 246 nm out; 92 nm from the line | 340/5 | 320/13 14° | 300/12 8° | 310/10 2° | 310/14 -10° | 340/14 -23° | 320/27 -35° | 260/28 -40° | 250/36 -48° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESC Escanaba, MI | departure | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | none | 609 ft | 8:56 pm EDT (00:56 UTC) |
| FKS Frankfort, MI | 79 nm out, 12 nm west of the line | VFR | variable at 2 knots | 10+ mi | none | 633 ft | 00:55 UTC |
| TVC Traverse City, MI | 89 nm out, 14 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (180°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 623 ft | 00:53 UTC |
| MOP Mount Pleasant, MI | 157 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line | VFR | from the south-southeast (150°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 754 ft | 00:55 UTC |
| FNT Flint, MI | 216 nm out, 13 nm northeast of the line, tower | marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,100 feet | calm | 10+ mi | 1,100 ft | 782 ft | 00:53 UTC |
| PTK Pontiac, MI | 246 nm out, 14 nm northeast of the line, tower | IFR Sky: a broken layer at 500 feet, overcast at 1,000 feet Weather: mist | calm | 5 mi | 500 ft | 980 ft | 00:53 UTC |
| DTW Detroit, MI | destination | marginal VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 500 feet, a broken layer at 1,200 feet, overcast at 2,000 feet | from the north (350°) at 3 knots | 8 mi | 1,200 ft | 645 ft | 8:53 pm EDT (00:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 980 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At DTW when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:49 pm EDT (02:49 UTC)
Wind from the northeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 600 feet, overcast at 1,400 feet IFR
The whole forecast for DTW
- From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the northeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 600 feet, overcast at 1,400 feet
- From Sun 11:00 pm EDT (03:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,400 feet
- From Mon 3:00 am EDT (07:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- At times between Mon 5:00 am EDT (09:00 UTC) and 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): visibility 2 miles, mist, a broken layer at 400 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 11 knots, gusting to 22, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 9,000 feet, a broken layer at 20,000 feet
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 ESC 7:08 pm EDT (23:08 UTC), at DTW 6:56 pm EDT (22:56 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:24 pm EDT (23:24 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at DTW is after sunset there (6:58 pm EDT (22:58 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: Delta County, Detroit Metro Wayne County.