Fairbanks International to Noatak Airport FAI → WTK
401 nautical miles (461 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 301°, about 286° magnetic at the departure end (variation 15E). At 120 knots that is 3 h 16 min at the quickest height in today's winds (16,500 ft, a 3-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:51 pm AKDT (06:51 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now FAI is IFR, wind from the south-southwest (200°) at 8 knots; WTK is VFR, wind calm. 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: 2 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
No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.
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 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 4 forecast points nearest it (FAI, BTT, AFM, OTZ). 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 | 190° at 5 kt | −1 kt | 121 kt | 3 h 19 min | 10:54 pm AKDT (06:54 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 200° at 5 kt | 0 | -8 °C | 120 kt | 3 h 20 min | 10:55 pm AKDT (06:55 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 210° at 7 kt | +1 kt | -11 °C | 119 kt | 3 h 22 min | 10:57 pm AKDT (06:57 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 200° at 8 kt | 0 | -15 °C | 120 kt | 3 h 20 min | 10:55 pm AKDT (06:55 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 190° at 8 kt | −1 kt | -20 °C | 121 kt | 3 h 19 min | 10:54 pm AKDT (06:54 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 190° at 9 kt | −2 kt | -24 °C | 122 kt | 3 h 17 min | 10:52 pm AKDT (06:52 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 190° at 10 kt | −3 kt | -28 °C | 123 kt | 3 h 16 min | 10:51 pm AKDT (06:51 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 190° at 11 kt | −3 kt | -31 °C | 123 kt | 3 h 16 min | 10:51 pm AKDT (06:51 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 200° at 16 kt | −2 kt | -43 °C | 122 kt | 3 h 17 min | 10:52 pm AKDT (06:52 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 17 kt | +5 kt | -55 °C | 115 kt | 3 h 29 min | 11:04 pm AKDT (07:04 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 230° at 16 kt | +8 kt | -53 °C | 112 kt | 3 h 35 min | 11:10 pm AKDT (07:10 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 230° at 18 kt | +7 kt | -50 °C | 113 kt | 3 h 33 min | 11:08 pm AKDT (07:08 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; 24 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° |
| BTT | used from 98 nm out; 68 nm from the line | L/V | L/V -7° | 240/9 -12° | 220/16 -18° | 220/17 -30° | 220/18 -43° | 270/17 -54° | 280/22 -54° | 240/20 -51° |
| AFM | used from 195 nm out; 62 nm from the line | 140/10 | 160/9 -8° | 160/8 -13° | 160/9 -19° | 190/14 -32° | 190/23 -42° | 200/33 -56° | 200/26 -54° | 210/17 -50° |
| OTZ | used from 342 nm out; 38 nm from the line | 160/13 | 160/15 -7° | 160/18 -14° | 150/20 -20° | 140/23 -33° | 160/22 -44° | 170/26 -54° | 180/16 -51° | 200/11 -49° |
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 500 feet, a broken layer at 2,600 feet, overcast at 6,500 feet | from the south-southwest (200°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | 500 ft | 439 ft | 7:06 pm AKDT (03:06 UTC) |
| 51Z Minto, AK | 39 nm out, 5 nm west of the line | no report just now | 499 ft | ||||
| RMP Rampart, AK | 68 nm out, 8 nm north of the line | no report just now | 306 ft | ||||
| HUS Hughes, AK | 176 nm out, 11 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 298 ft | ||||
| SHG Shungnak, AK | 264 nm out, 9 nm northeast of the line | VFR | from the east (100°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | none | 205 ft | 02:56 UTC |
| AFM Ambler, AK | 283 nm out, 14 nm northeast of the line | reported, no category | from the northeast (050°) at 3 knots | 9,000 ft | 292 ft | 02:56 UTC | |
| IAN Kiana, AK | 332 nm out, 15 nm southwest of the line | IFR Sky: a broken layer at 500 feet, overcast at 900 feet | from the east (080°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | 500 ft | 178 ft | 03:16 UTC |
| WTK Noatak, AK | destination | VFR Sky: overcast at 3,700 feet | calm | 10+ mi | 3,700 ft | 91 ft | 6:56 pm AKDT (02:56 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 499 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At WTK when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:51 pm AKDT (06:51 UTC)
WTK has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
The forecast for FAI, the departure
- From Sun 4:00 pm AKDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, a broken layer at 6,000 feet
- From Sun 7:00 pm AKDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, light rain showers, scattered clouds at 1,500 feet, overcast at 4,000 feet
- From Mon 2:00 am AKDT (10:00 UTC): wind light and variable, 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 WTK 7:31 pm AKDT (03:31 UTC) (civil twilight ends 8:27 pm AKDT (04:27 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at WTK is after sunset there (7:35 pm AKDT (03:35 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, Noatak Airport.