Fairbanks International to Denver International FAI → DEN
2,107 nautical miles (2,425 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 114°, about 099° magnetic at the departure end (variation 15E). At 120 knots that is 12 h 51 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 44-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:52 pm MDT (18:52 UTC). Right now FAI is IFR, wind calm; DEN is VFR, wind from the southwest (220°) at 21 knots, gusting to 29. 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: 253 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 1458 to 1848 nm out.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 1458 to 1708 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the route from 1458 to 1598 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 1458 to 1907 nm out.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 1718 to 1947 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the last 350 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 38,000 ft. Over the last 330 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: 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 1798 to 2047 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: strong surface winds (30 knots or more) (due to sustained surface winds greater than 30 knots). Near the route, 1897 nm along 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 FAI.
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 02:00–09:00 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 5 forecast points nearest it (FAI, ORT, YAK, JNU, ANN). 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 | 190° at 14 kt | +7 kt | 113 kt | 18 h 39 min | 6:40 pm MDT (00:40 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 230° at 18 kt | −1 kt | -4 °C | 121 kt | 17 h 25 min | 5:26 pm MDT (23:26 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 230° at 22 kt | −2 kt | 0 °C | 122 kt | 17 h 16 min | 5:17 pm MDT (23:17 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 230° at 24 kt | −3 kt | -4 °C | 123 kt | 17 h 08 min | 5:09 pm MDT (23:09 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 230° at 27 kt | −3 kt | -7 °C | 123 kt | 17 h 08 min | 5:09 pm MDT (23:09 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 240° at 29 kt | −5 kt | -11 °C | 125 kt | 16 h 51 min | 4:52 pm MDT (22:52 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 240° at 32 kt | −8 kt | -14 °C | 128 kt | 16 h 28 min | 4:29 pm MDT (22:29 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 240° at 34 kt | −11 kt | -18 °C | 131 kt | 16 h 05 min | 4:06 pm MDT (22:06 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 35 kt | −11 kt | -19 °C | 131 kt | 16 h 05 min | 4:06 pm MDT (22:06 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 240° at 46 kt | −14 kt | -31 °C | 134 kt | 15 h 43 min | 3:44 pm MDT (21:44 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 260° at 53 kt | −30 kt | -43 °C | 150 kt | 14 h 03 min | 2:04 pm MDT (20:04 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 270° at 63 kt | −44 kt | -51 °C | 164 kt | 12 h 51 min | 12:52 pm MDT (18:52 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 270° at 53 kt | −37 kt | -54 °C | 157 kt | 13 h 25 min | 1:26 pm MDT (19:26 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 00:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 06:00 UTC for use 02:00 to 09:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAI | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 270/11 | 280/15 -5° | 270/15 -11° | 290/10 -18° | L/V -30° | 230/6 -43° | 300/15 -54° | 280/18 -53° | 240/26 -48° |
| ORT | used from 100 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 280/10 -4° | 260/14 -10° | 260/16 -17° | 220/15 -30° | 210/30 -44° | 240/41 -51° | 240/43 -49° | 240/45 -46° | |
| YAK | used from 350 nm out; 176 nm from the line | 210/8 | 240/15 -5° | 250/20 -11° | 250/25 -18° | 240/49 -27° | 240/60 -35° | 240/78 -45° | 240/74 -47° | 240/68 -46° |
| JNU | used from 399 nm out; 174 nm from the line | 180/24 | 230/31 0° | 230/32 -6° | 230/41 -12° | 240/62 -21° | 240/73 -32° | 240/94 -45° | 250/94 -50° | 250/78 -50° |
| ANN | used from 699 nm out; 243 nm from the line | 180/12 | 230/21 4° | 230/24 0° | 230/29 -4° | 250/35 -15° | 250/46 -27° | 270/51 -41° | 280/67 -51° | 280/54 -57° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAI Fairbanks, AK | departure | IFR Sky: a broken layer at 800 feet, a broken layer at 1,800 feet, overcast at 4,000 feet Weather: light rain, mist | calm | 5 mi | 800 ft | 439 ft | 9:53 pm AKDT (05:53 UTC) |
| 6K8 Tok, AK | 160 nm out, 24 nm southwest of the line | VFR Sky: overcast at 9,000 feet | calm | 10+ mi | 9,000 ft | 1,642 ft | 05:56 UTC |
| CYZW Teslin, | 499 nm out, 24 nm southwest of the line | VFR Sky: overcast at 5,300 feet | from the south (190°) at 10 knots | 30 mi | 5,300 ft | 2,313 ft | 00:00 UTC |
| CZPC Pincher Creek, | 1408 nm out, 11 nm west of the line | marginal VFR Sky: a few clouds at 1,100 feet, scattered clouds at 2,200 feet, a broken layer at 3,000 feet, overcast at 3,800 feet Weather: light snow | from the south-southwest (200°) at 4 knots | 9 mi | 3,000 ft | 3,903 ft | 05:57 UTC |
| GTF Great Falls, MT | 1568 nm out, 3 nm north of the line, tower | IFR Sky: overcast at 800 feet Weather: light snow, mist | from the north (360°) at 10 knots | 3 mi | 800 ft | 3,680 ft | 05:53 UTC |
| RED Red Lodge, MT | 1728 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 5,762 ft | ||||
| FNL Fort Collins/Loveland, CO | 2067 nm out, 5 nm east of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southeast (150°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 5,020 ft | 05:56 UTC |
| DEN Denver, CO | destination | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 feet, scattered clouds at 22,000 feet | from the southwest (220°) at 21 knots, gusting to 29 | 10+ mi | none | 5,433 ft | 11:53 pm MDT (05:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 5,762 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At DEN when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:52 pm MDT (18:52 UTC)
Wind from the southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 21, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for DEN
- From Mon 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 15 knots, gusting to 25, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 14,000 feet
- From Mon 3:00 am MDT (09:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 22,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am MDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 21, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 4:00 pm MDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the south at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 7:00 pm MDT (01:00 UTC): wind from the northeast at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 15,000 feet
- From Mon 11:00 pm MDT (05:00 UTC): wind from the north at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 3,000 feet
The forecast for FAI, the departure
- From Sun 10:00 pm AKDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, light rain showers, a broken layer at 700 feet, overcast at 4,000 feet
- From Mon 2:00 am AKDT (10:00 UTC): wind from the south at 2 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 4,000 feet
- At times between Mon 6:00 am AKDT (14:00 UTC) and 10:00 am AKDT (18:00 UTC): visibility 5 miles, mist, overcast at 700 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 FAI 6:39 pm AKDT (02:39 UTC), at DEN 6:22 pm MDT (00:22 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:49 pm MDT (00:49 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: Fairbanks International, Denver International.