Takotna Airport to Fairbanks International TCT → FAI
242 nautical miles (278 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 059°, about 042° magnetic at the departure end (variation 17E). At 120 knots that is 1 h 36 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 32-knot tailwind), arriving about 5:24 pm AKDT (01:24 UTC). Right now FAI is VFR, wind from the southwest (230°) at 5 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: 34 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 TCT.
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 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 3 forecast points nearest it (MCG, TKA, FAI). 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 | 210° at 14 kt | −13 kt | 133 kt | 1 h 49 min | 5:37 pm AKDT (01:37 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 220° at 12 kt | −12 kt | 132 kt | 1 h 50 min | 5:38 pm AKDT (01:38 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 230° at 12 kt | −12 kt | -9 °C | 132 kt | 1 h 50 min | 5:38 pm AKDT (01:38 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 230° at 12 kt | −12 kt | -13 °C | 132 kt | 1 h 50 min | 5:38 pm AKDT (01:38 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 230° at 13 kt | −12 kt | -17 °C | 132 kt | 1 h 50 min | 5:38 pm AKDT (01:38 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 220° at 13 kt | −12 kt | -21 °C | 132 kt | 1 h 50 min | 5:38 pm AKDT (01:38 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 220° at 12 kt | −12 kt | -25 °C | 132 kt | 1 h 50 min | 5:38 pm AKDT (01:38 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 220° at 12 kt | −11 kt | -29 °C | 131 kt | 1 h 51 min | 5:39 pm AKDT (01:39 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 12 kt | −11 kt | -30 °C | 131 kt | 1 h 51 min | 5:39 pm AKDT (01:39 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 200° at 9 kt | −6 kt | -42 °C | 126 kt | 1 h 55 min | 5:43 pm AKDT (01:43 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 17 kt | −16 kt | -53 °C | 136 kt | 1 h 47 min | 5:35 pm AKDT (01:35 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 220° at 25 kt | −23 kt | -51 °C | 143 kt | 1 h 42 min | 5:30 pm AKDT (01:30 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 230° at 33 kt | −32 kt | -47 °C | 152 kt | 1 h 36 min | 5:24 pm AKDT (01:24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCG | used from 0 nm out; 17 nm from the line | 210/19 | 220/17 -6° | 220/18 -13° | 210/19 -19° | 200/17 -30° | 220/13 -40° | 220/21 -53° | 210/22 -52° | 220/28 -48° |
| TKA | used from 97 nm out; 112 nm from the line | 190/12 | 190/8 -6° | 230/7 -12° | 230/9 -18° | 270/11 -30° | 260/6 -42° | 260/24 -51° | 230/32 -50° | 230/41 -46° |
| FAI | used from 145 nm out; 72 nm from the line | 230/13 | 240/10 -6° | 260/11 -11° | 250/10 -17° | 230/11 -29° | 160/11 -43° | 200/13 -54° | 220/25 -50° | 230/35 -47° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TCT Takotna, AK | departure | no report just now | 423 ft | ||||
| FSP Nikolai, AK | 39 nm out, 21 nm southeast of the line | IFR Sky: a broken layer at 700 feet, a broken layer at 3,000 feet, overcast at 5,000 feet | from the east-northeast (070°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | 700 ft | 447 ft | 23:25 UTC |
| MHM Minchumina, AK | 116 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line | IFR Sky: overcast at 700 feet | calm | 10+ mi | 700 ft | 681 ft | 22:56 UTC |
| ENN Nenana, AK | 203 nm out, 4 nm east of the line | marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 2,900 feet Weather: light snow, mist | from the southwest (230°) at 5 knots | 5 mi | 2,900 ft | 367 ft | 23:36 UTC |
| FAI Fairbanks, AK | destination | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 6,000 feet, overcast at 17,000 feet | from the southwest (230°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | 6,000 ft | 439 ft | 2:53 pm AKDT (22:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 681 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, 5:24 pm AKDT (01:24 UTC)
Wind from the southwest at 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, a broken layer at 6,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for FAI
- From Sun 4:00 pm AKDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, a broken layer at 6,000 feet
- From Sun 7:00 pm AKDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, light rain showers, scattered clouds at 1,500 feet, overcast at 4,000 feet
- From Mon 2:00 am AKDT (10:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 4,000 feet
- At times between Mon 6:00 am AKDT (14:00 UTC) and 10:00 am AKDT (18:00 UTC): visibility 5 miles, mist, overcast at 700 feet
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/3002 Clear, AK 7 nm from the route, 203 nm along the route · security · ZAN
Daylight
Sunset at TCT 7:17 pm AKDT (03:17 UTC), at FAI 6:39 pm AKDT (02:39 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:29 pm AKDT (03:29 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: Takotna Airport, Fairbanks International.