Southwest Florida International to Fairbanks International RSW → FAI
3,365 nautical miles (3,872 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 332°, about 336° magnetic at the departure end (variation 4W). At 120 knots that is 27 h 35 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 2-knot tailwind), arriving about 2:40 am AKDT (10:40 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 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Near the route, 549 nm along the route.
- 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 route from 959 to 1178 nm out.
- 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 route from 1288 to 1598 nm out.
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 RSW.
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 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 18 forecast points nearest it (PIE, TLH, CSG, BHM, HSV, BNA, CGI, STL, BRL, DSM, MCW, AXN, ABR, GFK, MOT, GGW, GPI, SEA). 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 | 050° at 2 kt | −2 kt | -1 °C | 122 kt | 27 h 35 min | 2:40 am AKDT (10:40 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 020° at 3 kt | −1 kt | 7 °C | 121 kt | 27 h 49 min | 2:54 am AKDT (10:54 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 340° at 2 kt | 0 | 4 °C | 120 kt | 28 h 02 min | 3:07 am AKDT (11:07 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 320° at 3 kt | +1 kt | 1 °C | 119 kt | 28 h 17 min | 3:22 am AKDT (11:22 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 320° at 6 kt | +2 kt | -1 °C | 118 kt | 28 h 31 min | 3:36 am AKDT (11:36 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 310° at 10 kt | +5 kt | -5 °C | 115 kt | 29 h 16 min | 4:21 am AKDT (12:21 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 310° at 14 kt | +7 kt | -8 °C | 113 kt | 29 h 47 min | 4:52 am AKDT (12:52 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 310° at 17 kt | +10 kt | -11 °C | 110 kt | 30 h 35 min | 5:40 am AKDT (13:40 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 290° at 17 kt | +9 kt | -22 °C | 111 kt | 30 h 19 min | 5:24 am AKDT (13:24 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 290° at 24 kt | +15 kt | -37 °C | 105 kt | 32 h 03 min | 7:08 am AKDT (15:08 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 290° at 29 kt | +19 kt | -43 °C | 101 kt | 33 h 19 min | 8:24 am AKDT (16:24 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 270° at 36 kt | +22 kt | -48 °C | 98 kt | 34 h 20 min | 9:25 am AKDT (17:25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIE | used from 0 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 350/6 | L/V 18° | 290/6 14° | 280/9 9° | 250/18 -6° | 250/23 -17° | 240/30 -31° | 220/31 -41° | 220/30 -52° |
| TLH | used from 200 nm out; 45 nm from the line | 320/18 | 350/31 18° | 340/24 13° | 310/17 8° | 280/22 -7° | 300/25 -17° | 320/28 -33° | 320/24 -41° | 320/25 -50° |
| CSG | used from 349 nm out; 34 nm from the line | 310/24 | 340/35 17° | 340/37 12° | 330/22 8° | 310/30 -7° | 290/30 -18° | 340/57 -32° | 340/55 -41° | 320/33 -49° |
| BHM | used from 449 nm out; 29 nm from the line | 310/19 | 330/20 17° | 320/28 11° | 340/21 6° | 310/22 -7° | 330/33 -17° | 330/50 -32° | 330/57 -41° | 330/41 -50° |
| HSV | used from 499 nm out; 29 nm from the line | 310/20 | 330/20 16° | 320/27 11° | 340/23 5° | 320/23 -7° | 340/30 -17° | 320/50 -33° | 330/61 -41° | 340/41 -50° |
| BNA | used from 599 nm out; 60 nm from the line | 310/20 | 340/20 17° | 330/24 10° | 340/22 5° | 330/26 -6° | 340/29 -18° | 330/52 -33° | 320/62 -41° | 340/45 -50° |
| CGI | used from 699 nm out; 39 nm from the line | 240/20 | 270/15 15° | 280/15 11° | 300/13 6° | 290/20 -6° | 280/24 -18° | 300/34 -32° | 300/47 -41° | 310/49 -51° |
| STL | used from 799 nm out; 29 nm from the line | 250/24 | 250/24 16° | 260/23 9° | 270/16 6° | 260/25 -6° | 270/29 -19° | 290/34 -33° | 290/48 -41° | 290/54 -51° |
| BRL | used from 899 nm out; 58 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° |
| DSM | used from 1048 nm out; 40 nm from the line | 230/40 | 250/33 17° | 250/18 12° | 240/17 5° | 260/28 -8° | 270/34 -19° | 260/41 -33° | 260/55 -41° | 270/62 -51° |
| MCW | used from 1098 nm out; 36 nm from the line | 220/44 | 250/30 17° | 230/14 12° | 240/17 6° | 250/22 -8° | 270/29 -20° | 250/34 -34° | 260/52 -43° | 260/59 -51° |
| AXN | used from 1248 nm out; 76 nm from the line | 100/14 | 250/21 14° | 240/24 12° | 240/31 5° | 260/36 -10° | 260/40 -21° | 250/42 -36° | 260/48 -45° | 260/53 -50° |
| ABR | used from 1398 nm out; 76 nm from the line | 070/14 | 250/10 17° | 270/16 11° | 260/28 5° | 260/36 -10° | 260/41 -22° | 270/33 -37° | 260/42 -42° | 260/50 -48° |
| GFK | used from 1448 nm out; 65 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° |
| MOT | used from 1548 nm out; 55 nm from the line | 120/14 5° | 200/20 4° | 230/33 1° | 250/39 -11° | 250/50 -21° | 240/61 -37° | 250/56 -45° | 260/68 -51° | |
| GGW | used from 1797 nm out; 229 nm from the line | 110/23 0° | 130/20 -2° | 170/24 -3° | 230/44 -11° | 220/51 -21° | 210/52 -39° | 220/64 -44° | 240/85 -48° | |
| GPI | used from 2147 nm out; 462 nm from the line | 070/19 -5° | 100/16 -7° | 080/10 -8° | 130/8 -19° | 170/37 -28° | 200/50 -40° | 210/43 -40° | 220/41 -42° | |
| SEA | used from 2596 nm out; 772 nm from the line | 050/7 | 050/11 1° | 050/12 -5° | 030/31 -7° | 010/61 -15° | 010/69 -26° | 360/73 -40° | 360/62 -47° | 330/21 -43° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSW Fort Myers, FL | departure | no report just now | 29 ft | ||||
| PGD Punta Gorda, FL | 30 nm out, 4 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 25 ft | ||||
| AUO Auburn, AL | 409 nm out, 8 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 776 ft | ||||
| PAH Paducah, KY | 729 nm out, 4 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 410 ft | ||||
| GGI Grinnell, IA | 1058 nm out, 1 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 1,008 ft | ||||
| BAC Valley City, ND | 1448 nm out, 2 nm east of the line | no report just now | 1,401 ft | ||||
| CYDA Dawson City, | 3135 nm out, 8 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 1,215 ft | ||||
| FAI Fairbanks, AK | destination | no report just now | 439 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,401 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At FAI when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:40 am AKDT (10:40 UTC)
FAI has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
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 RSW 7:02 pm EDT (23:02 UTC), at FAI 6:39 pm AKDT (02:39 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:29 pm AKDT (03:29 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at FAI is before sunrise there (8:37 am AKDT (16:37 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: Southwest Florida International, Fairbanks International.