The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 8:19 am EDT (12:19 UTC)

Willow Run Airport to Phoenix Sky Harbor International YIP → PHX

1,442 nautical miles (1,659 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 258°, about 264° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6W). At 120 knots that is 14 h 52 min at the quickest height in today's winds (8,500 ft, a 23-knot headwind), arriving about 8:11 pm MST (03:11 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: 8 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

  • AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the first 80 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 338 to 835 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 974 to 1382 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 1014 to 1014 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 22,000 ft. Over the route from 1044 to 1173 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 1273 to 1352 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 12,000 ft. Over the route from 1293 to 1412 nm out.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the last 80 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 YIP.

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 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 10 forecast points nearest it (FWA, JOT, BRL, MKC, SLN, GCK, PUB, ALS, ABQ, PHX). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft240° at 29 kt+29 kt22 °C91 kt15 h 51 min9:10 pm MST (04:10 UTC)
6,500 ft240° at 25 kt+25 kt17 °C95 kt15 h 11 min8:30 pm MST (03:30 UTC)
8,500 ft240° at 23 kt+23 kt12 °C97 kt14 h 52 min8:11 pm MST (03:11 UTC)
10,500 ft240° at 24 kt+24 kt7 °C96 kt15 h 01 min8:20 pm MST (03:20 UTC)
12,500 ft240° at 26 kt+26 kt3 °C94 kt15 h 20 min8:39 pm MST (03:39 UTC)
14,500 ft240° at 29 kt+30 kt-1 °C90 kt16 h 01 min9:20 pm MST (04:20 UTC)
16,500 ft240° at 32 kt+33 kt-5 °C87 kt16 h 34 min9:53 pm MST (04:53 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180240° at 35 kt+36 kt-8 °C84 kt17 h 10 min10:29 pm MST (05:29 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240240° at 46 kt+47 kt-20 °C73 kt19 h 45 min1:04 am MST (08:04 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300250° at 63 kt+65 kt-30 °C55 kt26 h 13 min7:32 am MST (14:32 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340250° at 67 kt+68 kt-38 °C52 kt27 h 44 min9:03 am MST (16:03 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390260° at 62 kt+63 kt-49 °C57 kt25 h 18 min6:37 am MST (13:37 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
FWAused from 0 nm out; 86 nm from the line270/20300/16 15°290/14 10°280/17 3°290/25 -7°280/30 -19°280/34 -35°290/48 -44°300/64 -52°
JOTused from 149 nm out; 39 nm from the line250/25260/22 14°250/17 9°270/21 5°280/28 -8°280/36 -20°270/41 -35°280/57 -42°290/65 -50°
BRLused from 298 nm out; 29 nm from the line250/32250/19 17°260/15 11°270/16 3°290/23 -7°260/42 -20°270/52 -34°280/63 -39°290/64 -48°
MKCused from 447 nm out; 76 nm from the line240/49240/21 20°220/19 13°230/21 6°260/26 -7°250/37 -19°270/66 -31°270/65 -38°280/60 -48°
SLNused from 597 nm out; 56 nm from the line230/49240/41 22°230/26 15°220/21 7°240/38 -8°240/44 -21°260/77 -29°270/70 -36°270/63 -48°
GCKused from 746 nm out; 59 nm from the line240/40 22°240/40 14°240/38 7°230/39 -7°230/45 -20°250/73 -28°260/74 -36°260/64 -49°
PUBused from 945 nm out; 89 nm from the line260/45 11°240/38 6°230/47 -8°230/51 -19°240/74 -29°240/82 -35°250/72 -48°
ALSused from 994 nm out; 83 nm from the line240/35 3°230/54 -9°240/66 -19°230/85 -26°240/87 -34°240/70 -47°
ABQused from 1094 nm out; 59 nm from the line220/19 9°220/35 3°230/50 -8°240/64 -19°230/83 -26°230/85 -36°230/80 -48°
PHXused from 1293 nm out; 124 nm from the line190/15210/25 12°200/34 4°200/34 2°220/58 -9°220/75 -19°220/91 -28°220/100 -35°220/95 -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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
YIP Detroit, MI departure no report just now 715 ft
SBN South Bend, IN 129 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line, tower no report just now 798 ft
GYY Gary/Chicago, IN 179 nm out, 4 nm north of the line, tower no report just now 596 ft
GBG Galesburg, IL 318 nm out, 2 nm northwest of the line no report just now 764 ft
STJ St Joseph, MO 537 nm out, 2 nm southeast of the line, tower no report just now 826 ft
MHK Manhattan, KS 626 nm out, 9 nm southeast of the line, tower no report just now 1,066 ft
GCK Garden City, KS 825 nm out, 7 nm south of the line, tower no report just now 2,890 ft
JHN Johnson City, KS 885 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line no report just now 3,325 ft
SAF Santa Fe, NM 1124 nm out, 23 nm southeast of the line, tower no report just now 6,348 ft
SJN St Johns, AZ 1293 nm out, 7 nm south of the line no report just now 5,736 ft
SOW Show Low, AZ 1332 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line no report just now 6,415 ft
PHX Phoenix, AZ destination no report just now 1,134 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 6,415 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At PHX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:11 pm MST (03:11 UTC)

PHX 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 YIP 6:57 pm EDT (22:57 UTC), at PHX 5:57 pm MST (00:57 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:22 pm MST (01:22 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at PHX is after sunset there (5:58 pm MST (00:58 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
Radar now, the central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the southern Plains
Radar now, the southern Plains · 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: Willow Run Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International.