Hector International to Seattle-Tacoma International FAR → SEA
1,036 nautical miles (1,192 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 281°, about 277° magnetic at the departure end (variation 4E). At 120 knots that is 7 h 40 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 15-knot tailwind), arriving about 6:23 am PDT (13:23 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now FAR is low IFR, wind from the north (010°) at 13 knots; SEA is VFR, wind from the east (090°) at 6 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: 1 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 first 757 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Near the route, 349 nm along the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the route from 568 to 757 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 638 to 777 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the last 189 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 FAR.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
No pilot reports within 50 nautical miles of the line in the last three hours.
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 9 forecast points nearest it (GFK, MOT, DIK, GGW, GTF, GPI, GEG, YKM, 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 | 100° at 15 kt | −15 kt | 0 °C | 135 kt | 7 h 40 min | 6:23 am PDT (13:23 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 100° at 13 kt | −14 kt | 1 °C | 134 kt | 7 h 44 min | 6:27 am PDT (13:27 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 110° at 9 kt | −9 kt | -1 °C | 129 kt | 8 h 02 min | 6:45 am PDT (13:45 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 150° at 7 kt | −5 kt | -4 °C | 125 kt | 8 h 17 min | 7:00 am PDT (14:00 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 190° at 9 kt | 0 | -6 °C | 120 kt | 8 h 38 min | 7:21 am PDT (14:21 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 210° at 12 kt | +5 kt | -9 °C | 115 kt | 9 h 01 min | 7:44 am PDT (14:44 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 230° at 16 kt | +10 kt | -12 °C | 110 kt | 9 h 25 min | 8:08 am PDT (15:08 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 19 kt | +13 kt | -14 °C | 107 kt | 9 h 41 min | 8:24 am PDT (15:24 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 23 kt | +15 kt | -24 °C | 105 kt | 9 h 52 min | 8:35 am PDT (15:35 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 230° at 27 kt | +18 kt | -38 °C | 102 kt | 10 h 09 min | 8:52 am PDT (15:52 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 240° at 35 kt | +26 kt | -42 °C | 94 kt | 11 h 01 min | 9:44 am PDT (16:44 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 240° at 50 kt | +43 kt | -46 °C | 77 kt | 13 h 27 min | 12:10 pm PDT (19:10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GFK | used from 0 nm out; 58 nm from the line | 070/18 | 100/10 9° | 250/11 6° | 250/27 1° | 250/34 -10° | 260/43 -21° | 260/39 -36° | 260/36 -46° | 260/59 -53° |
| MOT | used from 100 nm out; 83 nm from the line | 120/14 5° | 200/20 4° | 230/33 1° | 250/39 -11° | 250/50 -21° | 240/61 -37° | 250/56 -45° | 260/68 -51° | |
| DIK | used from 199 nm out; 49 nm from the line | 150/24 7° | 200/38 6° | 220/53 0° | 230/51 -9° | 230/49 -21° | 240/37 -37° | 240/47 -44° | 250/65 -48° | |
| GGW | used from 299 nm out; 83 nm from the line | 110/23 0° | 130/20 -2° | 170/24 -3° | 230/44 -11° | 220/51 -21° | 210/52 -39° | 220/64 -44° | 240/85 -48° | |
| GTF | used from 498 nm out; 75 nm from the line | 070/11 | 080/15 -7° | 110/19 -9° | 190/25 -14° | 200/34 -23° | 200/54 -39° | 220/66 -40° | 220/77 -44° | |
| GPI | used from 648 nm out; 44 nm from the line | 070/19 -5° | 100/16 -7° | 080/10 -8° | 130/8 -19° | 170/37 -28° | 200/50 -40° | 210/43 -40° | 220/41 -42° | |
| GEG | used from 797 nm out; 23 nm from the line | 080/16 -2° | 050/17 -7° | 080/9 -10° | 190/33 -21° | 180/31 -32° | L/V -35° | L/V -37° | 270/8 -40° | |
| YKM | used from 897 nm out; 79 nm from the line | 070/10 | 040/15 -1° | 020/27 -8° | 030/25 -13° | 020/48 -20° | 010/83 -27° | 010/77 -37° | 010/49 -40° | 350/14 -41° |
| SEA | used from 996 nm out; 20 nm from the line | 050/7 | 050/11 1° | 050/12 -5° | 030/31 -7° | 010/61 -15° | 010/69 -26° | 360/73 -40° | 360/62 -47° | 330/21 -43° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAR Fargo, ND | departure | low IFR Sky: overcast at 300 feet Weather: mist | from the north (010°) at 13 knots | 2.5 mi | 300 ft | 901 ft | 12:12 am CDT (05:12 UTC) |
| BAC Valley City, ND | 50 nm out, 8 nm south of the line | IFR Sky: overcast at 800 feet | from the north (010°) at 14 knots | 10+ mi | 800 ft | 1,401 ft | 02:15 UTC |
| HZE Hazen, ND | 199 nm out, 11 nm south of the line | marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,000 feet Weather: light rain | from the northeast (040°) at 5 knots, gusting to 13 | 8 mi | 1,000 ft | 1,814 ft | 03:15 UTC |
| SDY Sidney, MT | 299 nm out, 6 nm northwest of the line | IFR Sky: a broken layer at 600 feet, a broken layer at 1,300 feet, overcast at 3,200 feet Weather: light rain | from the northeast (040°) at 12 knots | 10+ mi | 600 ft | 1,985 ft | 05:22 UTC |
| OLF Wolf Point, MT | 359 nm out, 21 nm north of the line | marginal VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 1,300 feet, overcast at 2,000 feet Weather: light rain | from the northeast (050°) at 18 knots, gusting to 25 | 9 mi | 2,000 ft | 1,988 ft | 05:35 UTC |
| GPI Kalispell, MT | 707 nm out, 25 nm north of the line, tower | VFR Sky: overcast at 4,700 feet | from the north (010°) at 11 knots, gusting to 20 | 10+ mi | 4,700 ft | 2,976 ft | 04:55 UTC |
| COE Coeur D'Alene, ID | 817 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line | VFR Sky: overcast at 8,000 feet | from the north-northeast (030°) at 9 knots | 10+ mi | 8,000 ft | 2,320 ft | 04:56 UTC |
| SFF Spokane, WA | 837 nm out, 7 nm southeast of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 1,956 ft | 04:53 UTC |
| EAT Wenatchee, WA | 956 nm out, 14 nm southeast of the line | VFR Sky: overcast at 9,500 feet | from the north (010°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | 9,500 ft | 1,248 ft | 04:55 UTC |
| SEA Seattle, WA | destination | VFR | from the east (090°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 432 ft | 9:53 pm PDT (04:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,976 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At SEA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:23 am PDT (13:23 UTC)
Wind from the southeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, patches of fog, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for SEA
- From Sun 11:00 pm PDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the east-northeast at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 3:00 am PDT (10:00 UTC): wind from the southeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, patches of fog, clear skies
- From Mon 9:00 am PDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 11:00 am PDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the west at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 8:00 pm PDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the south at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for FAR, the departure
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the north at 14 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 300 feet
- At times between Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC) and 3:00 am CDT (08:00 UTC): visibility 2 miles, mist
- From Mon 3:00 am CDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the north at 13 knots, visibility 6 miles, mist, overcast at 700 feet
- From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,000 feet
- 30% chance between Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC) and 5:00 pm CDT (22:00 UTC): light rain showers
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 FAR 6:45 pm CDT (23:45 UTC), at SEA 6:27 pm PDT (01:27 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:58 pm PDT (01:58 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at SEA is before sunrise there (7:23 am PDT (14:23 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: Hector International, Seattle-Tacoma International.