Great Falls International to Jackson Hole Airport GTF → JAC
234 nautical miles (269 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 173°, about 160° magnetic at the departure end (variation 13E). At 120 knots that is 1 h 57 min at the quickest height in today's winds (5,500 ft, no wind along the track), arriving about 11:42 am MDT (17:42 UTC). Right now GTF is low IFR, wind from the west-northwest (290°) at 4 knots; JAC is VFR, wind from the west (260°) at 7 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 whole route.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 59 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the whole route.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Near the route, 49 nm along the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the last 98 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 GTF.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- DC3T at 8,500 ft, 3 nm southwest, 8:03 am MDT (14:03 UTC): light to moderate rime icing above 8,000 ft, -8 °C. At the departure end, 3 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
GTF UA /OV 300025/TM 1403/FL085/TP DC3T/TA M8/IC LGT-MOD RIME 080
- Report
- a routine report filed through GTF
- Where
- wind from 300° at 25 knots
- Time
- 14:03 UTC
- Height
- at 8,500 ft
- Aircraft
- DC3T
- Temperature
- −8 °C
- Icing
- light to moderate rime at 8,000 ft
- A319 at 7,500 ft, 3 nm southwest, 7:41 am MDT (13:41 UTC): overcast from 30,000 ft to 7,500 ft. At the departure end, 3 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
GTF UA /OV 180010/TM 1341/FL075/TP A319/SK OVC003-TOPS075
- Report
- a routine report filed through GTF
- Where
- wind from 180° at 10 knots
- Time
- 13:41 UTC
- Height
- at 7,500 ft
- Aircraft
- A319
- Sky
- overcast from 300 ft, tops 7,500 ft
- GLF4 descending, 6 nm southwest, 7:48 am MDT (13:48 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. 98 nm along the route, 6 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
BZN UA /OV BZN/TM 1348/FLDURD/TP GLF4/SK 047
- Report
- a routine report filed through BZN
- Where
- over BZN
- Time
- 13:48 UTC
- Height
- during the descent
- Aircraft
- GLF4
- Sky
- at 4,700 ft
- C340 descending, 6 nm southwest, 6:47 am MDT (12:47 UTC): light icing, remarks: smooth. 98 nm along the route, 6 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
BZN UA /OV BZN/TM 1247/FLDURD/TP C340/SK 055/IC LGT RM/RM SMOOTH
- Report
- a routine report filed through BZN
- Where
- over BZN
- Time
- 12:47 UTC
- Height
- during the descent
- Aircraft
- C340
- Sky
- at 5,500 ft
- Icing
- light remarks
- Remarks
- smooth
- E170 at 7,500 ft, 1 nm north, 9:22 am MDT (15:22 UTC): overcast above 7,500 ft, remarks: runway 19 brag. At the destination end, 1 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
JAC UA /OV N JAC/TM 1522/FL075/TP E170/SK OVC075/RM RWY 19 BRAG
- Report
- a routine report filed through JAC
- Where
- north jac
- Time
- 15:22 UTC
- Height
- at 7,500 ft
- Aircraft
- E170
- Sky
- overcast from 7,500 ft
- Remarks
- runway 19 brag
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 14:00–21:00 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 3 forecast points nearest it (GTF, DLN, PIH). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,500 ft | light and variable | 0 | 120 kt | 1 h 57 min | 11:42 am MDT (17:42 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | light and variable | +1 kt | -3 °C | 119 kt | 1 h 58 min | 11:43 am MDT (17:43 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 190° at 3 kt | +3 kt | -4 °C | 117 kt | 2 h | 11:45 am MDT (17:45 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 190° at 12 kt | +11 kt | -5 °C | 109 kt | 2 h 09 min | 11:54 am MDT (17:54 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 200° at 16 kt | +15 kt | -8 °C | 105 kt | 2 h 14 min | 11:59 am MDT (17:59 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 200° at 19 kt | +17 kt | -12 °C | 103 kt | 2 h 16 min | 12:01 pm MDT (18:01 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 200° at 22 kt | +20 kt | -17 °C | 100 kt | 2 h 20 min | 12:05 pm MDT (18:05 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 200° at 22 kt | +20 kt | -18 °C | 100 kt | 2 h 20 min | 12:05 pm MDT (18:05 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 190° at 31 kt | +30 kt | -29 °C | 90 kt | 2 h 36 min | 12:21 pm MDT (18:21 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 210° at 57 kt | +48 kt | -35 °C | 72 kt | 3 h 15 min | 1:00 pm MDT (19:00 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 210° at 65 kt | +52 kt | -37 °C | 68 kt | 3 h 26 min | 1:11 pm MDT (19:11 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 210° at 58 kt | +43 kt | -42 °C | 77 kt | 3 h 02 min | 12:47 pm MDT (18:47 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 12:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 18:00 UTC for use 14:00 to 21:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTF | used from 0 nm out; 24 nm from the line | L/V | L/V -4° | 230/12 -3° | 210/12 -17° | 190/23 -29° | 200/48 -39° | 210/69 -39° | 220/66 -42° | |
| DLN | used from 98 nm out; 65 nm from the line | L/V -3° | 170/16 -6° | 180/21 -18° | 190/27 -30° | 210/63 -33° | 210/62 -36° | 210/51 -42° | ||
| PIH | used from 195 nm out; 100 nm from the line | L/V | 180/8 -1° | 190/21 -6° | 210/56 -18° | 190/64 -28° | 210/68 -31° | 210/60 -36° | 210/54 -42° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTF Great Falls, MT | departure | low IFR Sky: sky obscured at 200 feet Weather: freezing fog | from the west-northwest (290°) at 4 knots | 0.25 mi | 200 ft | 3,680 ft | 9:34 am MDT (15:34 UTC) |
| BZN Bozeman, MT | 107 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line, tower | low IFR Sky: overcast at 200 feet Weather: mist | from the south (170°) at 6 knots | 3 mi | 200 ft | 4,473 ft | 15:00 UTC |
| WYS West Yellowstone, MT | 166 nm out, 9 nm west of the line | marginal VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 1,700 feet, a broken layer at 2,300 feet, overcast at 6,000 feet | calm | 10+ mi | 2,300 ft | 6,649 ft | 15:30 UTC |
| JAC Jackson, WY | destination | VFR Sky: overcast at 3,800 feet Weather: light rain | from the west (260°) at 7 knots | 8 mi | 3,800 ft | 6,451 ft | 9:07 am MDT (15:07 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 6,649 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At JAC when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 11:42 am MDT (17:42 UTC)
Wind from the west-southwest at 8 knots, visibility 6 miles, light rain, scattered clouds at 3,000 feet, overcast at 4,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for JAC
- From Mon 10:00 am MDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 8 knots, visibility 6 miles, light rain, scattered clouds at 3,000 feet, overcast at 4,000 feet
- 30% chance between Mon 3:00 pm MDT (21:00 UTC) and 9:00 pm MDT (03:00 UTC): visibility 5 miles, light rain showers, a broken layer at 4,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 pm MDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 4 knots, visibility 6 miles, light rain showers, scattered clouds at 2,000 feet, overcast at 3,500 feet
- From Tue 3:00 am MDT (09:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, a broken layer at 5,000 feet
The forecast for GTF, the departure
- From Mon 10:00 am MDT (16:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility ¾ mile, mist, sky obscured at 500 feet
- At times between Mon 9:00 am MDT (15:00 UTC) and 11:00 am MDT (17:00 UTC): visibility ¼ mile, fog, sky obscured at 300 feet
- From Mon 12:00 pm MDT (18:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 700 feet
- From Mon 10:00 pm MDT (04:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 500 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 GTF 6:41 pm MDT (00:41 UTC), at JAC 6:43 pm MDT (00:43 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:12 pm MDT (01:12 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: Great Falls International, Jackson Hole Airport.