Fairbanks International to Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain Airport FAI → MSP
2,138 nautical miles (2,460 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 097°, about 082° magnetic at the departure end (variation 15E). At 120 knots that is 13 h 37 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 37-knot tailwind), arriving about 8:25 am CDT (13:25 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: 185 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 ZULU 4C: moderate icing up to 20,000 ft. Over the route from 1818 to 1958 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 1828 to 1928 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 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 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 4 forecast points nearest it (FAI, ORT, 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 | 200° at 10 kt | +3 kt | 117 kt | 18 h 16 min | 1:04 pm CDT (18:04 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 230° at 15 kt | −5 kt | -3 °C | 125 kt | 17 h 06 min | 11:54 am CDT (16:54 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 250° at 19 kt | −11 kt | -1 °C | 131 kt | 16 h 19 min | 11:07 am CDT (16:07 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 260° at 24 kt | −17 kt | -3 °C | 137 kt | 15 h 36 min | 10:24 am CDT (15:24 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 260° at 26 kt | −20 kt | -6 °C | 140 kt | 15 h 16 min | 10:04 am CDT (15:04 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 260° at 29 kt | −21 kt | -10 °C | 141 kt | 15 h 10 min | 9:58 am CDT (14:58 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 260° at 33 kt | −22 kt | -14 °C | 142 kt | 15 h 03 min | 9:51 am CDT (14:51 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 250° at 36 kt | −23 kt | -18 °C | 143 kt | 14 h 57 min | 9:45 am CDT (14:45 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 37 kt | −23 kt | -19 °C | 143 kt | 14 h 57 min | 9:45 am CDT (14:45 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 250° at 43 kt | −28 kt | -30 °C | 148 kt | 14 h 27 min | 9:15 am CDT (14:15 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 250° at 50 kt | −28 kt | -43 °C | 148 kt | 14 h 27 min | 9:15 am CDT (14:15 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 260° at 47 kt | −36 kt | -50 °C | 156 kt | 13 h 42 min | 8:30 am CDT (13:30 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 260° at 48 kt | −37 kt | -54 °C | 157 kt | 13 h 37 min | 8:25 am CDT (13:25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAI | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 230/13 | 240/10 -6° | 260/11 -11° | 250/10 -17° | 230/11 -29° | 160/11 -43° | 200/13 -54° | 220/25 -50° | 230/35 -47° |
| ORT | used from 100 nm out; 96 nm from the line | 250/24 -3° | 240/29 -10° | 240/31 -17° | 230/34 -31° | 220/31 -41° | 230/49 -47° | 230/52 -46° | 230/47 -45° | |
| JNU | used from 449 nm out; 291 nm from the line | 150/18 | 210/22 -3° | 240/32 -4° | 240/39 -10° | 250/59 -18° | 240/76 -28° | 240/83 -43° | 250/89 -52° | 250/74 -53° |
| ANN | used from 899 nm out; 537 nm from the line | 210/8 | 240/13 3° | 270/21 1° | 280/26 -3° | 260/33 -15° | 270/42 -26° | 260/43 -41° | 280/38 -51° | 280/45 -58° |
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 | no report just now | 439 ft | ||||
| CKX Chicken, AK | 160 nm out, 19 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,640 ft | ||||
| CYDA Dawson City, | 230 nm out, 3 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,215 ft | ||||
| GFK Grand Forks, ND | 1888 nm out, 16 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 845 ft | ||||
| STC St Cloud, MN | 2088 nm out, 5 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,030 ft | ||||
| MSP Minneapolis, MN | destination | no report just now | 841 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,640 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MSP when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:25 am CDT (13:25 UTC)
MSP has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/4348 GRAND FORKS AFB, ND, Sunday, March 8, 2026 through Sunday, November 1, 2026 Local 14 nm from the route, 1878 nm along the route · security · until 1 November · ZMP
- 6/6656 ANOKA, MN, Monday, October 5, 2026 through Monday, October 19, 2026 Local 6 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · until 19 October · ZMP
Daylight
Sunset at FAI 6:39 pm AKDT (02:39 UTC), at MSP 6:35 pm CDT (23:35 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:04 pm CDT (00:04 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, Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain Airport.