Ralph Wien Memorial to Gambell Airport OTZ → GAM
295 nautical miles (340 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 235°, about 226° magnetic at the departure end (variation 9E). At 120 knots that is 2 h 35 min at the quickest height in today's winds (8,500 ft, a 6-knot headwind), arriving about 8:29 pm AKDT (04:29 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now OTZ is VFR, wind from the east-southeast (110°) at 16 knots; GAM is marginal VFR, wind from the north (010°) at 10 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: 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
No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.
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 OTZ.
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 20:00–03:00 UTC · at 120 knots true airspeed
The westbound cruising heights for this course (VFR: even thousands plus 500 ft; above 18,000 ft the forecast levels), with the wind averaged along the line from the 2 forecast points nearest it (OTZ, OME). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,500 ft | 160° at 24 kt | +8 kt | 112 kt | 2 h 38 min | 8:32 pm AKDT (04:32 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 160° at 24 kt | +7 kt | -8 °C | 113 kt | 2 h 37 min | 8:31 pm AKDT (04:31 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 160° at 23 kt | +6 kt | -13 °C | 114 kt | 2 h 35 min | 8:29 pm AKDT (04:29 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 160° at 22 kt | +8 kt | -17 °C | 112 kt | 2 h 38 min | 8:32 pm AKDT (04:32 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 170° at 20 kt | +9 kt | -21 °C | 111 kt | 2 h 39 min | 8:33 pm AKDT (04:33 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 170° at 19 kt | +9 kt | -25 °C | 111 kt | 2 h 39 min | 8:33 pm AKDT (04:33 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 170° at 17 kt | +8 kt | -30 °C | 112 kt | 2 h 38 min | 8:32 pm AKDT (04:32 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 170° at 16 kt | +8 kt | -33 °C | 112 kt | 2 h 38 min | 8:32 pm AKDT (04:32 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 170° at 25 kt | +10 kt | -44 °C | 110 kt | 2 h 41 min | 8:35 pm AKDT (04:35 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 170° at 24 kt | +10 kt | -51 °C | 110 kt | 2 h 41 min | 8:35 pm AKDT (04:35 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 180° at 17 kt | +11 kt | -50 °C | 109 kt | 2 h 42 min | 8:36 pm AKDT (04:36 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 200° at 16 kt | +14 kt | -48 °C | 106 kt | 2 h 47 min | 8:41 pm AKDT (04:41 UTC) |
Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTZ | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 150/22 | 150/21 -7° | 150/20 -13° | 160/22 -20° | 160/25 -32° | 160/32 -43° | 160/26 -53° | 180/18 -52° | 210/15 -49° |
| OME | used from 98 nm out; 75 nm from the line | 170/26 | 160/26 -7° | 160/25 -14° | 170/20 -20° | 190/12 -33° | 170/21 -45° | 170/23 -50° | 180/17 -49° | 200/16 -48° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTZ Kotzebue, AK | departure | VFR Sky: overcast at 6,500 feet | from the east-southeast (110°) at 16 knots | 10+ mi | 6,500 ft | 15 ft | 4:53 pm AKDT (00:53 UTC) |
| SHH Shishmaref, AK | 89 nm out, 19 nm northwest of the line | VFR Sky: overcast at 7,000 feet | from the east-southeast (110°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | 7,000 ft | 13 ft | 12:55 UTC |
| KTS Brevig Mission, AK | 128 nm out, 19 nm southeast of the line | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 4,000 feet | from the east-southeast (120°) at 9 knots, gusting to 17 | 10+ mi | 4,000 ft | 38 ft | 00:56 UTC |
| GAM Gambell, AK | destination | marginal VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 1,500 feet, overcast at 2,800 feet | from the north (010°) at 10 knots | 10+ mi | 2,800 ft | 29 ft | 5:47 pm AKDT (01:47 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 38 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At GAM when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:29 pm AKDT (04:29 UTC)
GAM has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
The forecast for OTZ, the departure
- From Sun 4:00 pm AKDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the east-southeast at 17 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, a few clouds at 8,000 feet, scattered clouds at 9,000 feet and more above
- From Sun 11:00 pm AKDT (07:00 UTC): wind from the east-southeast at 17 knots, visibility 6 miles, light rain, mist, a broken layer at 600 feet, overcast at 1,500 feet
- From Mon 6:00 am AKDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the east-southeast at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,500 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 OTZ 7:32 pm AKDT (03:32 UTC), at GAM 8:17 pm AKDT (04:17 UTC) (civil twilight ends 9:05 pm AKDT (05:05 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at GAM is after sunset there (8:21 pm AKDT (04:21 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: Ralph Wien Memorial, Gambell Airport.