Kirksville Regional to Pellston Rgnl/Emmet County IRK → PLN
473 nautical miles (545 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 043°, about 040° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3E). At 120 knots that is 3 h 07 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 32-knot tailwind), arriving about 6:07 am EDT (10:07 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now PLN is VFR, wind variable at 3 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 TANGO 3W: 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 first 138 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 IRK.
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 4 forecast points nearest it (BRL, DBQ, GRB, TVC). 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 29 kt | −28 kt | 148 kt | 3 h 12 min | 6:12 am EDT (10:12 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 260° at 26 kt | −23 kt | 143 kt | 3 h 18 min | 6:18 am EDT (10:18 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 270° at 20 kt | −15 kt | 12 °C | 135 kt | 3 h 30 min | 6:30 am EDT (10:30 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 280° at 15 kt | −9 kt | 8 °C | 129 kt | 3 h 40 min | 6:40 am EDT (10:40 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 270° at 15 kt | −11 kt | 5 °C | 131 kt | 3 h 37 min | 6:37 am EDT (10:37 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 270° at 17 kt | −13 kt | 1 °C | 133 kt | 3 h 33 min | 6:33 am EDT (10:33 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 270° at 19 kt | −14 kt | -3 °C | 134 kt | 3 h 32 min | 6:32 am EDT (10:32 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 270° at 22 kt | −15 kt | -7 °C | 135 kt | 3 h 30 min | 6:30 am EDT (10:30 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 23 kt | −16 kt | -8 °C | 136 kt | 3 h 29 min | 6:29 am EDT (10:29 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 28 kt | −18 kt | -20 °C | 138 kt | 3 h 26 min | 6:26 am EDT (10:26 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 280° at 38 kt | −22 kt | -35 °C | 142 kt | 3 h 20 min | 6:20 am EDT (10:20 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 290° at 47 kt | −19 kt | -44 °C | 139 kt | 3 h 24 min | 6:24 am EDT (10:24 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 290° at 69 kt | −32 kt | -53 °C | 152 kt | 3 h 07 min | 6:07 am EDT (10:07 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRL | used from 0 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 230/24 | 240/29 15° | 290/16 10° | 280/15 4° | 260/23 -7° | 260/32 -19° | 260/36 -33° | 280/48 -41° | 280/59 -52° |
| DBQ | used from 99 nm out; 50 nm from the line | 230/33 | 250/30 16° | 280/15 9° | 260/15 5° | 260/21 -7° | 260/24 -20° | 250/37 -33° | 270/42 -43° | 280/63 -52° |
| GRB | used from 247 nm out; 72 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 345 nm out; 48 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° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRK Kirksville, MO | departure | reported, no category | from the south-southwest (210°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | none | 966 ft | 1:55 am CDT (06:55 UTC) |
| MPZ Mount Pleasant, IA | 69 nm out, 2 nm northwest of the line | VFR | from the south (190°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 730 ft | 06:35 UTC |
| MLI Moline, IL | 118 nm out, 11 nm east of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 9 knots | 10+ mi | none | 589 ft | 06:52 UTC |
| CWI Clinton, IA | 148 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | none | 707 ft | 06:56 UTC |
| JVL Janesville, WI | 217 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 807 ft | 06:35 UTC |
| UES Waukesha, WI | 266 nm out, 13 nm southeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (210°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 911 ft | 06:35 UTC |
| ETB West Bend, WI | 286 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 887 ft | 06:55 UTC |
| MBL Manistee, MI | 375 nm out, 17 nm southeast of the line | VFR | from the east (080°) at 5 knots | 7 mi | none | 621 ft | 06:56 UTC |
| TVC Traverse City, MI | 414 nm out, 15 nm southeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (210°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 623 ft | 06:53 UTC |
| CVX Charlevoix, MI | 444 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line | VFR | variable at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 668 ft | 06:55 UTC |
| PLN Pellston, MI | destination | VFR | variable at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 720 ft | 2:54 am EDT (06:54 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 966 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At PLN when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:07 am EDT (10:07 UTC)
Wind from the southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 25,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for PLN
- From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 1:00 pm EDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 3,500 feet
- From Mon 3:00 pm EDT (19:00 UTC): wind from the east at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 3,500 feet
- From Mon 7:00 pm EDT (23:00 UTC): wind from the east-northeast at 8 knots, gusting to 16, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 1,100 feet
- From Mon 11:00 pm EDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the east at 10 knots, gusting to 17, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 800 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 IRK 6:35 pm CDT (23:35 UTC), at PLN 6:59 pm EDT (22:59 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:29 pm EDT (23:29 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at PLN is before sunrise there (7:51 am EDT (11:51 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: Kirksville Regional, Pellston Rgnl/Emmet County.