Salt Lake City International to Fairbanks International SLC → FAI
1,894 nautical miles (2,180 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 332°, about 321° magnetic at the departure end (variation 11E). At 120 knots that is 16 h 03 min at the quickest height in today's winds (12,500 ft, a 2-knot headwind), arriving about 8:23 am AKDT (16:23 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: 78 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
- SIGMET W71W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 27,000 ft, moving from the south at 40 knots, until 7:55 pm MDT (01:55 UTC). Over the first 120 nm of the route.
as issued
WSUS33 KKCI 112355 MKCW WST 112355 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 71W VALID UNTIL 0155Z WY UT ID FROM 40S DBS-40WNW BPI-30WSW MTU-30SSW DTA-30SE TWF-40S DBS AREA EMBD TS MOV FROM 20040KT. TOPS TO FL270.
- AIRMET SIERRA 2E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Near the route, at the departure end.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: 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 20 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 3C: moderate icing up to 22,000 ft. Over the first 239 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the first 379 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 60 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the first 459 nm of the route.
- 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 60 to 349 nm out.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 14,000 ft. Over the route from 309 to 558 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 SLC.
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 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 6 forecast points nearest it (SLC, PIH, BOI, LWS, GEG, 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 | 360° at 9 kt | +7 kt | 0 °C | 113 kt | 16 h 46 min | 9:06 am AKDT (17:06 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 360° at 9 kt | +7 kt | 0 °C | 113 kt | 16 h 46 min | 9:06 am AKDT (17:06 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 010° at 8 kt | +5 kt | -4 °C | 115 kt | 16 h 28 min | 8:48 am AKDT (16:48 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 020° at 8 kt | +3 kt | -7 °C | 117 kt | 16 h 11 min | 8:31 am AKDT (16:31 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 030° at 11 kt | +2 kt | -11 °C | 118 kt | 16 h 03 min | 8:23 am AKDT (16:23 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 020° at 17 kt | +5 kt | -13 °C | 115 kt | 16 h 28 min | 8:48 am AKDT (16:48 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 020° at 24 kt | +8 kt | -16 °C | 112 kt | 16 h 55 min | 9:15 am AKDT (17:15 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 020° at 29 kt | +10 kt | -18 °C | 110 kt | 17 h 13 min | 9:33 am AKDT (17:33 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 010° at 42 kt | +24 kt | -26 °C | 96 kt | 19 h 44 min | 12:04 pm AKDT (20:04 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 350° at 45 kt | +33 kt | -38 °C | 87 kt | 21 h 46 min | 2:06 pm AKDT (22:06 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 360° at 31 kt | +20 kt | -40 °C | 100 kt | 18 h 56 min | 11:16 am AKDT (19:16 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 16 kt | +12 kt | -43 °C | 108 kt | 17 h 32 min | 9:52 am AKDT (17:52 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLC | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 280/8 | 210/39 5° | 210/52 -1° | 200/50 -11° | 200/56 -23° | 220/61 -28° | 230/73 -37° | 230/73 -45° | |
| PIH | used from 50 nm out; 62 nm from the line | 270/10 | 270/13 1° | 210/16 -2° | 200/56 -11° | 200/51 -23° | 200/68 -33° | 220/77 -37° | 230/73 -44° | |
| BOI | used from 199 nm out; 82 nm from the line | 330/14 4° | 230/5 -2° | 220/20 -7° | 210/37 -20° | 200/59 -26° | 200/67 -34° | 210/73 -35° | 220/62 -41° | |
| LWS | used from 299 nm out; 79 nm from the line | 010/5 | 050/14 -2° | 040/12 -6° | 160/7 -10° | 190/30 -22° | 200/54 -27° | 200/48 -35° | 210/40 -37° | 230/32 -41° |
| GEG | used from 449 nm out; 1 nm from the line | 050/18 -2° | 060/19 -8° | L/V -11° | 160/11 -24° | 190/17 -31° | 200/19 -35° | 220/14 -37° | 250/11 -41° | |
| SEA | used from 648 nm out; 192 nm from the line | 360/9 | 350/10 1° | 010/10 -5° | 030/20 -11° | 020/60 -17° | 010/86 -26° | 360/90 -40° | 010/68 -42° | 360/31 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLC Salt Lake City, UT | departure | no report just now | 4,230 ft | ||||
| OGD Ogden, UT | 20 nm out, 11 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 4,472 ft | ||||
| GIC Grangeville, ID | 359 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 3,313 ft | ||||
| GEG Spokane, WA | 478 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 2,385 ft | ||||
| CYYF Penticton, | 608 nm out, 8 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,129 ft | ||||
| CYPZ Burns Lake, | 987 nm out, 22 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 2,343 ft | ||||
| CYXY Whitehorse, | 1465 nm out, 21 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 2,317 ft | ||||
| CYXQ Beaver Creek, | 1655 nm out, 11 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 2,129 ft | ||||
| 6K8 Tok, AK | 1735 nm out, 3 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,642 ft | ||||
| FAI Fairbanks, AK | destination | no report just now | 439 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 4,472 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, 8:23 am AKDT (16:23 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 SLC 6:52 pm MDT (00:52 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 (8:34 am AKDT (16:34 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: Salt Lake City International, Fairbanks International.