Grand Forks International to Thief River Falls Regional GFK → TVF
40 nautical miles (47 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 080°, about 074° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6E). At 120 knots that is 13 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 59-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:56 am CDT (05:56 UTC), after sunset at the destination. 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 whole 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
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 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 1 forecast point nearest it (GFK). 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 | 070° at 16 kt | +16 kt | 104 kt | 23 min | 1:06 am CDT (06:06 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 090° at 11 kt | +11 kt | 109 kt | 22 min | 1:05 am CDT (06:05 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 190° at 3 kt | −1 kt | 8 °C | 121 kt | 20 min | 1:03 am CDT (06:03 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 250° at 14 kt | −13 kt | 5 °C | 133 kt | 18 min | 1:01 am CDT (06:01 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 250° at 24 kt | −24 kt | 2 °C | 144 kt | 17 min | 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 250° at 29 kt | −28 kt | -2 °C | 148 kt | 16 min | 12:59 am CDT (05:59 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 250° at 31 kt | −31 kt | -5 °C | 151 kt | 16 min | 12:59 am CDT (05:59 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 250° at 33 kt | −33 kt | -9 °C | 153 kt | 16 min | 12:59 am CDT (05:59 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 34 kt | −34 kt | -10 °C | 154 kt | 16 min | 12:59 am CDT (05:59 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 260° at 43 kt | −43 kt | -21 °C | 163 kt | 15 min | 12:58 am CDT (05:58 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 260° at 39 kt | −39 kt | -36 °C | 159 kt | 15 min | 12:58 am CDT (05:58 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 260° at 36 kt | −36 kt | -46 °C | 156 kt | 15 min | 12:58 am CDT (05:58 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 260° at 59 kt | −59 kt | -53 °C | 179 kt | 13 min | 12:56 am CDT (05:56 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; 20 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° |
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 | 24 nm out, 11 nm south of the line | no report just now | 896 ft | ||||
| TVF Thief River Falls, MN | destination | no report just now | 1,118 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,118 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At TVF when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:56 am CDT (05:56 UTC)
TVF 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 TVF 6:42 pm CDT (23:42 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:13 pm CDT (00:13 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at TVF is before sunrise there (7:39 am CDT (12:39 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, Thief River Falls Regional.