The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 6:54 am CDT (11:54 UTC)

St. Cloud Sky Central Airport to Salt Lake City International STC → SLC

833 nautical miles (958 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 256°, about 253° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3E). At 120 knots that is 7 h 47 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 13-knot headwind), arriving about 1:41 pm MDT (19:41 UTC). Right now STC is VFR, wind from the northwest (320°) at 4 knots; SLC is VFR, wind from the south-southeast (150°) at 13 knots, gusting to 20. 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 return flight

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 C17C: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 36,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 7:55 am CDT (12:55 UTC). Near the route, 288 nm along the route.
    as issued
    WSUS32 KKCI 121055
    MKCC WST 121055
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 17C
    VALID UNTIL 1255Z
    SD ND
    FROM 20NW BIS-60E BIS-20WNW PIR-20SW DPR-20NW BIS
    AREA TS MOV FROM 22040KT. TOPS TO FL360.
  • 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 50 to 446 nm out.
  • 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 route from 446 to 595 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 34,000 ft to 43,000 ft. Over the route from 486 to 704 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 22,000 ft. Over the route from 545 to 585 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 5W: strong surface winds (30 knots or more) (due to sustained surface winds greater than 30 knots). Over the route from 585 to 605 nm out.
  • AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the last 228 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the last 208 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 12,000 ft. Over the last 69 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 STC.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

  • E75L at 20,000 ft, 39 nm northeast, 5:35 am CDT (10:35 UTC): light to moderate turbulence above 20,000 ft. At the departure end, 39 nm northeast of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    JMR UA /OV JMR/TM 1035/FL200/TP E75L/TB CONS LGT OCNL MOD 200
    Report
    a routine report filed through JMR
    Where
    over JMR
    Time
    10:35 UTC
    Height
    at 20,000 ft
    Aircraft
    E75L
    Turbulence
    continuous light occasional moderate at 20,000 ft
  • BE9L at 17,000 ft, 28 nm northwest, 4:42 am CDT (09:42 UTC): light rime icing from 15,000 ft to 17,000 ft, 0 °C, remarks: zdvwc. 565 nm along the route, 28 nm northwest of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    CPR UA /OV DDY250025/TM 0942/FL170/TP BE9L/TA 00/IC LGT RIME 150-170/RM ZDVWC
    Report
    a routine report filed through CPR
    Where
    25 nm west (250°) of DDY
    Time
    09:42 UTC
    Height
    at 17,000 ft
    Aircraft
    BE9L
    Temperature
    0 °C
    Icing
    light rime from 15,000 ft to 17,000 ft
    Remarks
    zdvwc

Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 08:00–15:00 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 8 forecast points nearest it (AXN, ABR, PIR, RAP, BFF, LND, RKS, SLC). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft240° at 14 kt+13 kt15 °C107 kt7 h 47 min1:41 pm MDT (19:41 UTC)
6,500 ft240° at 18 kt+17 kt15 °C103 kt8 h 05 min1:59 pm MDT (19:59 UTC)
8,500 ft240° at 19 kt+19 kt11 °C101 kt8 h 15 min2:09 pm MDT (20:09 UTC)
10,500 ft240° at 23 kt+22 kt6 °C98 kt8 h 30 min2:24 pm MDT (20:24 UTC)
12,500 ft230° at 26 kt+25 kt2 °C95 kt8 h 46 min2:40 pm MDT (20:40 UTC)
14,500 ft220° at 29 kt+26 kt-3 °C94 kt8 h 52 min2:46 pm MDT (20:46 UTC)
16,500 ft220° at 32 kt+27 kt-8 °C93 kt8 h 57 min2:51 pm MDT (20:51 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180220° at 34 kt+28 kt-12 °C92 kt9 h 03 min2:57 pm MDT (20:57 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240220° at 47 kt+41 kt-22 °C79 kt10 h 33 min4:27 pm MDT (22:27 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300230° at 47 kt+45 kt-33 °C75 kt11 h 06 min5:00 pm MDT (23:00 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340240° at 47 kt+47 kt-37 °C73 kt11 h 25 min5:19 pm MDT (23:19 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390240° at 52 kt+52 kt-46 °C68 kt12 h 15 min6:09 pm MDT (00:09 UTC)

Based on data from the 12th at 06:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 12:00 UTC for use 08:00 to 15:00 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
AXNused from 0 nm out; 41 nm from the line110/6260/10 16°240/17 12°250/20 5°260/29 -10°260/35 -22°260/29 -38°270/48 -41°270/61 -48°
ABRused from 99 nm out; 69 nm from the line080/12210/12 17°220/22 12°230/26 5°220/28 -10°230/41 -21°250/36 -36°260/47 -39°260/63 -47°
PIRused from 198 nm out; 51 nm from the line230/15 15°220/22 14°220/24 6°200/32 -10°210/48 -22°240/45 -33°240/43 -37°250/55 -46°
RAPused from 347 nm out; 33 nm from the line250/28 16°260/31 10°240/25 4°210/35 -10°200/45 -23°230/47 -31°230/47 -36°230/51 -46°
BFFused from 496 nm out; 108 nm from the line280/28260/39 11°240/34 5°210/38 -11°210/52 -22°230/61 -31°230/61 -36°240/56 -45°
LNDused from 545 nm out; 94 nm from the line240/10 3°240/30 0°220/42 -13°230/52 -23°220/54 -33°220/52 -36°220/53 -44°
RKSused from 644 nm out; 27 nm from the line250/9230/21 -1°210/43 -14°220/59 -23°220/55 -32°220/53 -35°220/48 -44°
SLCused from 744 nm out; 64 nm from the line200/16210/23 4°220/34 -3°210/40 -16°220/66 -23°220/64 -31°220/57 -36°220/50 -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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
STC St Cloud, MN departure VFR from the northwest (320°) at 4 knots 10+ mi none 1,030 ft 5:53 am CDT (10:53 UTC)
PEX Paynesville, MN 30 nm out, 3 nm south of the line VFR from the north-northeast (020°) at 4 knots 10+ mi none 1,182 ft 11:35 UTC
ATY Watertown, SD 139 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line low IFR Sky: sky obscured at 200 feet Weather: fog from the north-northeast (030°) at 7 knots 0.5 mi 200 ft 1,749 ft 10:53 UTC
MKA Miller, SD 218 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line no report just now 1,569 ft
PIR Pierre, SD 278 nm out, 7 nm north of the line low IFR Sky: overcast at 400 feet Weather: mist from the east-northeast (060°) at 10 knots 2 mi 400 ft 1,744 ft 11:29 UTC
PHP Philip, SD 337 nm out, 6 nm north of the line IFR Sky: a broken layer at 600 feet, overcast at 1,300 feet from the east-northeast (060°) at 7 knots 10+ mi 600 ft 2,209 ft 11:28 UTC
CUT Custer, SD 426 nm out, 16 nm north of the line low IFR Sky: sky obscured at 100 feet Weather: fog from the south (190°) at 5 knots 0.25 mi 100 ft 5,619 ft 11:35 UTC
CPR Casper, WY 555 nm out, 15 nm northwest of the line, tower VFR Sky: a broken layer at 5,500 feet, a broken layer at 7,000 feet from the west-southwest (240°) at 14 knots 10+ mi 5,500 ft 5,344 ft 10:53 UTC
RKS Rock Springs, WY 694 nm out, 12 nm southeast of the line VFR Sky: overcast at 4,200 feet from the southeast (140°) at 7 knots 10+ mi 4,200 ft 6,764 ft 10:54 UTC
FBR Fort Bridger, WY 754 nm out, 2 nm north of the line VFR Sky: a broken layer at 10,000 feet from the east (100°) at 5 knots 10+ mi 10,000 ft 7,038 ft 11:35 UTC
SLC Salt Lake City, UT destination VFR Sky: a few clouds at 4,000 feet, scattered clouds at 7,500 feet, a broken layer at 10,000 feet, a broken layer at 13,000 feet from the south-southeast (150°) at 13 knots, gusting to 20 10+ mi 10,000 ft 4,230 ft 4:54 am MDT (10:54 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 7,038 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At SLC when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:41 pm MDT (19:41 UTC)

Wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, light rain showers, a few clouds at 2,000 feet, a broken layer at 5,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for SLC
  • From Mon 6:00 am MDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, light rain showers, a few clouds at 2,000 feet, a broken layer at 5,000 feet
  • From Mon 3:00 pm MDT (21:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, light rain showers, scattered clouds at 2,000 feet, a broken layer at 5,000 feet
  • 30% chance between Mon 3:00 pm MDT (21:00 UTC) and 6:00 pm MDT (00:00 UTC): wind variable at 15 knots, gusting to 25, visibility 4 miles, thunderstorms with rain, a broken layer at 3,000 feet (thunderheads)
  • From Mon 11:00 pm MDT (05:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, light rain showers, scattered clouds at 2,000 feet, a broken layer at 3,500 feet
The forecast for STC, the departure
  • From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 20,000 feet
  • From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the east-northeast at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 15,000 feet
  • 30% chance between Mon 1:00 pm CDT (18:00 UTC) and 3:00 pm CDT (20:00 UTC): visibility 4 miles, light thunderstorms with rain, overcast at 2,500 feet (thunderheads)
  • From Mon 5:00 pm CDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the northeast at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 2,500 feet
  • From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the north at 8 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 STC 6:36 pm CDT (23:36 UTC), at SLC 6:50 pm MDT (00:50 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:18 pm MDT (01:18 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

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the northern Rockies
Radar now, the northern Rockies · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the southern Rockies
Radar now, the southern Rockies · loop National Weather Service
Radar, the whole country
Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service
Surface analysis now
Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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: St. Cloud Sky Central Airport, Salt Lake City International.