Grand Forks International to Barkley Regional GFK → PAH
751 nautical miles (864 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 147°, about 141° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6E). At 120 knots that is 4 h 38 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 42-knot tailwind), arriving about 9:40 am CDT (14:40 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: 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
- 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 168 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: 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 277 to 524 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 GFK.
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 08:00–15:00 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 9 forecast points nearest it (GFK, AXN, MSP, MCW, DBQ, BRL, SPI, STL, CGI). 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 | 250° at 17 kt | −2 kt | 122 kt | 6 h 09 min | 11:11 am CDT (16:11 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 250° at 17 kt | −3 kt | 123 kt | 6 h 06 min | 11:08 am CDT (16:08 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 250° at 18 kt | −2 kt | 13 °C | 122 kt | 6 h 09 min | 11:11 am CDT (16:11 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 250° at 21 kt | −2 kt | 10 °C | 122 kt | 6 h 09 min | 11:11 am CDT (16:11 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 250° at 23 kt | −5 kt | 6 °C | 125 kt | 6 h | 11:02 am CDT (16:02 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 260° at 25 kt | −8 kt | 2 °C | 128 kt | 5 h 52 min | 10:54 am CDT (15:54 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 260° at 26 kt | −11 kt | -3 °C | 131 kt | 5 h 44 min | 10:46 am CDT (15:46 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 270° at 27 kt | −14 kt | -8 °C | 134 kt | 5 h 36 min | 10:38 am CDT (15:38 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 27 kt | −14 kt | -9 °C | 134 kt | 5 h 36 min | 10:38 am CDT (15:38 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 270° at 34 kt | −15 kt | -21 °C | 135 kt | 5 h 34 min | 10:36 am CDT (15:36 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 270° at 39 kt | −20 kt | -35 °C | 140 kt | 5 h 22 min | 10:24 am CDT (15:24 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 53 kt | −32 kt | -40 °C | 152 kt | 4 h 56 min | 9:58 am CDT (14:58 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 280° at 59 kt | −42 kt | -48 °C | 162 kt | 4 h 38 min | 9:40 am CDT (14:40 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 06:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 12:00 UTC for use 08:00 to 15:00 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; 25 nm from the line | 080/18 | L/V 11° | 260/22 7° | 250/48 3° | 260/51 -11° | 250/44 -22° | 260/34 -38° | 260/53 -44° | 270/66 -49° |
| AXN | used from 49 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 110/6 | 260/10 16° | 240/17 12° | 250/20 5° | 260/29 -10° | 260/35 -22° | 260/29 -38° | 270/48 -41° | 270/61 -48° |
| MSP | used from 198 nm out; 49 nm from the line | 250/12 | 250/17 17° | 240/26 12° | 250/26 5° | 280/26 -9° | 280/32 -22° | 270/37 -38° | 280/47 -41° | 280/55 -48° |
| MCW | used from 296 nm out; 14 nm from the line | 250/36 | 250/24 19° | 240/26 11° | 250/30 5° | 270/22 -9° | 260/30 -21° | 260/31 -36° | 280/53 -38° | 280/66 -48° |
| DBQ | used from 395 nm out; 69 nm from the line | 250/27 | 260/23 17° | 240/26 10° | 260/30 4° | 280/26 -9° | 280/36 -21° | 270/41 -36° | 280/52 -41° | 290/67 -48° |
| BRL | used from 445 nm out; 33 nm from the line | 250/32 | 250/19 17° | 260/15 11° | 270/16 3° | 290/23 -7° | 260/42 -20° | 270/52 -34° | 280/63 -39° | 290/64 -48° |
| SPI | used from 544 nm out; 41 nm from the line | 260/28 | 250/22 15° | 250/14 9° | 260/20 6° | 280/27 -7° | 280/34 -19° | 280/48 -32° | 280/59 -41° | 300/60 -49° |
| STL | used from 593 nm out; 22 nm from the line | 250/26 | 240/21 15° | 240/22 11° | 250/23 6° | 270/28 -7° | 260/30 -19° | 280/52 -31° | 280/57 -40° | 300/57 -49° |
| CGI | used from 692 nm out; 31 nm from the line | 260/22 | 250/15 15° | 250/13 11° | 250/16 6° | 270/29 -7° | 280/30 -18° | 290/40 -31° | 290/55 -40° | 300/51 -51° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GFK Grand Forks, ND | departure | no report just now | 845 ft | ||||
| FAR Fargo, ND | 59 nm out, 21 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 901 ft | ||||
| AXN Alexandria, MN | 148 nm out, 5 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,425 ft | ||||
| HCD Hutchinson, MN | 217 nm out, 2 nm east of the line | no report just now | 1,062 ft | ||||
| MKT Mankato, MN | 257 nm out, 5 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,020 ft | ||||
| AEL Albert Lea, MN | 306 nm out, 6 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,261 ft | ||||
| ALO Waterloo, IA | 385 nm out, 8 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 873 ft | ||||
| AWG Washington, IA | 464 nm out, 2 nm west of the line | no report just now | 754 ft | ||||
| PPQ Pittsfield, IL | 573 nm out, 13 nm west of the line | no report just now | 709 ft | ||||
| BLV Belleville, IL | 652 nm out, 5 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 459 ft | ||||
| MDH Carbondale/Murphysboro, IL | 702 nm out, 1 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 411 ft | ||||
| PAH Paducah, KY | destination | no report just now | 410 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,425 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At PAH when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 9:40 am CDT (14:40 UTC)
PAH 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 13 nm from the route, at the departure end · security · until 1 November · ZMP
Daylight
Sunset at GFK 6:46 pm CDT (23:46 UTC), at PAH 6:22 pm CDT (23:22 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:48 pm CDT (23:48 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: Grand Forks International, Barkley Regional.