Grand Forks International to Plattsburgh International GFK → PBG
999 nautical miles (1,150 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 093°, about 087° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 35 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 59-knot tailwind), arriving about 7:39 am EDT (11:39 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 260 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the last 30 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the last 30 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Near the route, at the destination end.
- AIRMET ZULU 1C: moderate icing up to 22,000 ft. Over the last 10 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 GFK.
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 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 8 forecast points nearest it (GFK, INL, DLH, GRB, TVC, BUF, SYR, BML). 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 | 290° at 6 kt | −6 kt | 126 kt | 7 h 56 min | 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 300° at 9 kt | −9 kt | 129 kt | 7 h 45 min | 9:49 am EDT (13:49 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 290° at 11 kt | −12 kt | 10 °C | 132 kt | 7 h 34 min | 9:38 am EDT (13:38 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 280° at 14 kt | −14 kt | 6 °C | 134 kt | 7 h 27 min | 9:31 am EDT (13:31 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 270° at 16 kt | −17 kt | 3 °C | 137 kt | 7 h 18 min | 9:22 am EDT (13:22 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 270° at 19 kt | −19 kt | -1 °C | 139 kt | 7 h 11 min | 9:15 am EDT (13:15 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 270° at 22 kt | −23 kt | -6 °C | 143 kt | 6 h 59 min | 9:03 am EDT (13:03 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 280° at 25 kt | −26 kt | -10 °C | 146 kt | 6 h 51 min | 8:55 am EDT (12:55 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 280° at 26 kt | −26 kt | -11 °C | 146 kt | 6 h 51 min | 8:55 am EDT (12:55 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 32 kt | −32 kt | -22 °C | 152 kt | 6 h 34 min | 8:38 am EDT (12:38 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 290° at 38 kt | −39 kt | -37 °C | 159 kt | 6 h 17 min | 8:21 am EDT (12:21 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 41 kt | −41 kt | -45 °C | 161 kt | 6 h 12 min | 8:16 am EDT (12:16 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 270° at 60 kt | −59 kt | -53 °C | 179 kt | 5 h 35 min | 7:39 am EDT (11:39 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; 25 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° |
| INL | used from 100 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 080/23 | L/V 9° | 260/22 5° | 260/27 0° | 260/43 -11° | 270/47 -21° | 270/57 -36° | 270/54 -47° | 270/69 -56° |
| DLH | used from 200 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 080/28 | 240/21 15° | 250/26 9° | 250/32 3° | 260/42 -11° | 270/40 -21° | 260/43 -36° | 260/46 -46° | 260/65 -54° |
| GRB | used from 350 nm out; 169 nm from the line | 250/36 | 270/23 16° | 270/14 9° | 240/18 4° | 280/26 -9° | 280/29 -20° | 290/42 -36° | 290/51 -45° | 290/72 -55° |
| TVC | used from 400 nm out; 153 nm from the line | 260/31 | 280/22 15° | 290/18 10° | 270/13 2° | 290/25 -10° | 300/35 -21° | 310/52 -37° | 320/59 -47° | 300/84 -54° |
| BUF | used from 649 nm out; 218 nm from the line | 320/10 | 010/16 10° | 360/10 6° | 340/13 2° | 330/22 -11° | 300/25 -23° | 320/31 -38° | 300/29 -44° | 280/36 -50° |
| SYR | used from 799 nm out; 158 nm from the line | 280/13 | 350/18 10° | 340/10 6° | 300/15 1° | 280/17 -12° | 270/16 -23° | 280/25 -38° | 250/40 -42° | 240/53 -50° |
| BML | used from 949 nm out; 122 nm from the line | 260/22 | 300/13 8° | 280/13 4° | 260/13 0° | 260/16 -11° | 240/45 -21° | 240/59 -36° | 240/77 -44° | 240/83 -53° |
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 | ||||
| CKN Crookston, MN | 20 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 896 ft | ||||
| FOZ Bigfork, MN | 140 nm out, 2 nm east of the line | no report just now | 1,351 ft | ||||
| ELO Ely, MN | 220 nm out, 11 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,456 ft | ||||
| CMX Hancock, MI | 360 nm out, 12 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,095 ft | ||||
| ANJ Sault Ste Marie, MI | 529 nm out, 21 nm south of the line | no report just now | 716 ft | ||||
| CYSB Sudbury, | 669 nm out, 22 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,141 ft | ||||
| CYYB North Bay, | 729 nm out, 22 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,215 ft | ||||
| CYRP Ottawa, | 879 nm out, 5 nm east of the line | no report just now | 382 ft | ||||
| MAL Malone, NY | 959 nm out, 2 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 789 ft | ||||
| PBG Plattsburgh, NY | destination | no report just now | 234 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,456 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At PBG when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 7:39 am EDT (11:39 UTC)
PBG 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 PBG 6:15 pm EDT (22:15 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:44 pm EDT (22:44 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, Plattsburgh International.