Plan a flight · Mon 5:03 am EDT (09:03 UTC)

Willow Run Airport to Great Falls International YIP → GTF

1,219 nautical miles (1,402 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 295°, about 301° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6W). At 120 knots that is 10 h 53 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 8-knot headwind), arriving about 1:56 pm MDT (19:56 UTC). Right now YIP is IFR, wind from the southwest (230°) at 5 knots; GTF is low IFR, wind from the north-northwest (340°) at 7 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: 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

SIGMET C14C: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 35,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 5:55 am EDT (09:55 UTC). Near the route, 829 nm along the route.
as issued
```
WSUS32 KKCI 120755
MKCC WST 120755
CONVECTIVE SIGMET 14C
VALID UNTIL 0955Z
SD ND
FROM 50SE DIK-50ENE DPR-40ENE RAP-50NNW RAP-50SE DIK
AREA TS MOV FROM 22040KT. TOPS TO FL350.
```
AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist, fog). Over the first 90 nm of the route.
AIRMET TANGO 2W: 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 230 to 410 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 last 689 nm of the route.
AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 899 to 959 nm out.
AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 18,000 ft. Over the last 250 nm of the route.
AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 1129 to 1209 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 YIP.

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

B738 at 1,700 ft, 41 nm south, 2:20 am EDT (06:20 UTC): overcast from 1,700 ft to 2,000 ft, remarks: during the descent. At the departure end, 41 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
TOL UA /OV KTOL/TM 0620/FL017/TP B738/SK OVC017-TOP020/RM DURD
```
Report
a routine report filed through TOL
Where
over KTOL
Time
06:20 UTC
Height
at 1,700 ft
Aircraft
B738
Sky
overcast from 1,700 ft, tops 2,000 ft
Remarks
during the descent
B77W at 30,000 ft, 34 nm south, 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC): light to moderate chop turbulence. 669 nm along the route, 34 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ABR UA /OV ABR/TM 0800/FL300/TP B77W/TB LGT-MOD CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through ABR
Where
over ABR
Time
08:00 UTC
Height
at 30,000 ft
Aircraft
B77W
Turbulence
light to moderate chop
BE20 at 15,000 ft, 11 nm northeast, 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC): light icing, 0 °C. 869 nm along the route, 11 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DIK UA /OV DIK/TM 0800/FL150/TP BE20/TA 00/IC LGT CLR
```
Report
a routine report filed through DIK
Where
over DIK
Time
08:00 UTC
Height
at 15,000 ft
Aircraft
BE20
Temperature
0 °C
Icing
light clear

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 12 forecast points nearest it (FWA, MKG, GRB, LSE, MSP, AXN, ABR, DIK, MLS, GGW, BIL, GTF). 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	250° at 11 kt	+8 kt	2 °C	112 kt	10 h 53 min	1:56 pm MDT (19:56 UTC)
6,500 ft	240° at 13 kt	+9 kt	11 °C	111 kt	10 h 59 min	2:02 pm MDT (20:02 UTC)
8,500 ft	240° at 17 kt	+12 kt	9 °C	108 kt	11 h 17 min	2:20 pm MDT (20:20 UTC)
10,500 ft	240° at 20 kt	+15 kt	4 °C	105 kt	11 h 37 min	2:40 pm MDT (20:40 UTC)
12,500 ft	240° at 23 kt	+17 kt	2 °C	103 kt	11 h 50 min	2:53 pm MDT (20:53 UTC)
14,500 ft	240° at 24 kt	+19 kt	-3 °C	101 kt	12 h 04 min	3:07 pm MDT (21:07 UTC)
16,500 ft	250° at 26 kt	+21 kt	-7 °C	99 kt	12 h 19 min	3:22 pm MDT (21:22 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	250° at 27 kt	+22 kt	-10 °C	98 kt	12 h 26 min	3:29 pm MDT (21:29 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	240° at 33 kt	+26 kt	-22 °C	94 kt	12 h 58 min	4:01 pm MDT (22:01 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	240° at 39 kt	+30 kt	-36 °C	90 kt	13 h 33 min	4:36 pm MDT (22:36 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	250° at 48 kt	+41 kt	-41 °C	79 kt	15 h 26 min	6:29 pm MDT (00:29 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	260° at 59 kt	+56 kt	-48 °C	64 kt	19 h 03 min	10:06 pm MDT (04:06 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

Point	From	3,000	6,000	9,000	12,000	18,000	24,000	30,000	34,000	39,000
FWA	used from 0 nm out; 100 nm from the line	270/20	300/16 15°	290/14 10°	280/17 3°	290/25 -7°	280/30 -19°	280/34 -35°	290/48 -44°	300/64 -52°
MKG	used from 50 nm out; 57 nm from the line	260/28	260/18 15°	250/16 9°	260/22 4°	280/31 -9°	270/35 -21°	270/44 -35°	270/42 -45°	290/61 -51°
GRB	used from 200 nm out; 48 nm from the line	250/32	250/22 17°	240/18 8°	280/21 6°	280/34 -11°	280/35 -21°	280/39 -37°	270/52 -45°	290/60 -49°
LSE	used from 300 nm out; 44 nm from the line	250/25	240/21 17°	240/28 11°	250/28 5°	280/24 -10°	280/31 -21°	260/35 -37°	270/45 -43°	280/59 -47°
MSP	used from 400 nm out; 26 nm from the line	250/12	250/17 17°	240/26 12°	250/26 5°	280/26 -9°	280/32 -22°	270/37 -38°	280/47 -41°	280/55 -48°
AXN	used from 499 nm out; 40 nm from the line	110/6	260/10 16°	240/17 12°	250/20 5°	260/29 -10°	260/35 -22°	260/29 -38°	270/48 -41°	270/61 -48°
ABR	used from 599 nm out; 57 nm from the line	080/12	210/12 17°	220/22 12°	230/26 5°	220/28 -10°	230/41 -21°	250/36 -36°	260/47 -39°	260/63 -47°
DIK	used from 749 nm out; 93 nm from the line		190/12 5°	230/29 7°	220/33 1°	220/43 -11°	210/47 -23°	220/53 -33°	240/56 -40°	250/72 -47°
MLS	used from 949 nm out; 39 nm from the line		290/17 -1°	250/18 0°	230/25 0°	220/31 -11°	220/32 -24°	220/50 -32°	220/60 -38°	230/71 -46°
GGW	used from 1049 nm out; 77 nm from the line		100/7 -1°	070/10 -3°	190/6 -4°	210/34 -10°	230/33 -24°	210/48 -37°	230/65 -40°	230/71 -46°
BIL	used from 1099 nm out; 94 nm from the line		300/14	270/19 -2°	260/26 -2°	220/28 -13°	210/51 -25°	220/56 -33°	220/61 -39°	220/72 -45°
GTF	used from 1149 nm out; 45 nm from the line		L/V	L/V -7°	240/8 -8°	240/30 -14°	240/40 -28°	210/52 -38°	210/76 -38°	220/72 -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
YIP Detroit, MI	departure	IFR Sky: a broken layer at 700 feet	from the southwest (230°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	700 ft	715 ft	4:53 am EDT (08:53 UTC)
GRR Grand Rapids, MI	100 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line, tower	marginal VFR Weather: mist	from the south-southeast (160°) at 5 knots	5 mi	none	793 ft	08:53 UTC
MKG Muskegon, MI	130 nm out, 4 nm north of the line, tower	reported, no category	from the south (180°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	628 ft	08:55 UTC
CMY Sparta, WI	330 nm out, 23 nm southwest of the line, tower	VFR Sky: a broken layer at 19,000 feet	calm	10+ mi	19,000 ft	839 ft	08:55 UTC
MIC Minneapolis, MN	459 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (190°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	869 ft	08:53 UTC
STC St Cloud, MN	499 nm out, 23 nm northeast of the line, tower	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	1,030 ft	08:53 UTC
BTN Britton, SD	649 nm out, 4 nm south of the line	low IFR Sky: overcast at 200 feet Weather: mist, unknown precipitation	from the north (010°) at 9 knots	1.75 mi	200 ft	1,318 ft	08:55 UTC
BIS Bismarck, ND	779 nm out, 23 nm north of the line, tower	IFR Sky: overcast at 800 feet	from the northeast (040°) at 8 knots	10+ mi	800 ft	1,661 ft	08:52 UTC
DIK Dickinson, ND	869 nm out, 7 nm northeast of the line	low IFR Sky: sky obscured at 300 feet Weather: mist	from the east-northeast (060°) at 13 knots	0.75 mi	300 ft	2,592 ft	08:56 UTC
JDN Jordan, MT	1039 nm out, 11 nm north of the line	reported, no category	from the north (360°) at 9 knots		none	2,667 ft	08:48 UTC
LWT Lewistown, MT	1139 nm out, 19 nm south of the line	no report just now				4,170 ft
GTF Great Falls, MT	destination	low IFR Sky: a broken layer at 300 feet, overcast at 1,100 feet Weather: light snow, mist	from the north-northwest (340°) at 7 knots	5 mi	300 ft	3,680 ft	2:53 am MDT (08:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 4,170 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At GTF when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:56 pm MDT (19:56 UTC)

Wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,000 feet marginal VFR

The whole forecast for GTF

From Mon 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 12 knots, visibility 3 miles, light snow, overcast at 600 feet
At times between Mon 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC) and 3:00 am MDT (09:00 UTC): visibility 2 miles, light snow
From Mon 3:00 am MDT (09:00 UTC): wind from the north at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 600 feet
At times between Mon 3:00 am MDT (09:00 UTC) and 5:00 am MDT (11:00 UTC): visibility 2 miles, light snow, overcast at 300 feet
From Mon 12:00 pm MDT (18:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,000 feet
From Mon 9:00 pm MDT (03:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility 6 miles, mist, scattered clouds at 1,000 feet

The forecast for YIP, the departure

From Mon 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,000 feet
From Mon 4:30 am EDT (08:30 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
At times between Mon 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC) and 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): visibility 4 miles, mist, a broken layer at 300 feet
From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 1:00 pm EDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 22, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 9,000 feet, a broken layer at 20,000 feet

Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it

6/6656 ANOKA, MN, Monday, October 5, 2026 through Monday, October 19, 2026 Local 11 nm from the route, 459 nm along the route · security · until 19 October · ZMP

Daylight

Sunset at YIP 6:57 pm EDT (22:57 UTC), at GTF 6:41 pm MDT (00:41 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:12 pm MDT (01:12 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 central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the northern Rockies · loop National Weather Service

Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service

Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center

Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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: Willow Run Airport, Great Falls International.