Plan a flight · Mon 1:14 am EDT (05:14 UTC)

Albany International to Des Moines International ALB → DSM

885 nautical miles (1,019 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 272°, about 285° magnetic at the departure end (variation 13W). At 120 knots that is 7 h 54 min at the quickest height in today's winds (8,500 ft, a 8-knot headwind), arriving about 8:08 am CDT (13:08 UTC). Right now ALB is IFR, wind from the north (360°) at 5 knots; DSM is VFR, wind from the south (190°) at 10 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: 3 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

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 567 nm of the route.
AIRMET ZULU 1C: moderate icing up to 22,000 ft. Over the first 30 nm of the route.
AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the first 169 nm of the route.
AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the first 149 nm of the route.
AIRMET TANGO 3W: 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 last 149 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 ALB.

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

urgent B39M at 35,000 ft, 15 nm south, 11:15 pm EDT (03:15 UTC): remarks: no inj/dmg zob. 278 nm along the route, 15 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DKK UUA /OV DKK280040/TM 0315/FL350/TP B39M/TB MTN WVE ACTN +/-5KTS/RM NO INJ/DMG ZOB
```
Report
an urgent report filed through DKK
Where
40 nm west (280°) of DKK
Time
03:15 UTC
Height
at 35,000 ft
Aircraft
B39M
Turbulence
mountain wve actn a 5-knot loss of airspeed
Remarks
no inj/dmg zob
B739 descending, 24 nm south, 12:54 am EDT (04:54 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. 428 nm along the route, 24 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DTW UA /OV DTW/TM 0454/FLDURD/TP B739/SK BASES 011
```
Report
a routine report filed through DTW
Where
over DTW
Time
04:54 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
B739
Sky
bases 1,100 ft
A320 descending, 24 nm south, 11:27 pm EDT (03:27 UTC): overcast above 1,400 ft. 428 nm along the route, 24 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DTW UA /OV DTW/TM 0327/FLDURD/TP A320/SK 014 OVC
```
Report
a routine report filed through DTW
Where
over DTW
Time
03:27 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
A320
Sky
at 1,400 ft overcast
C560 at 3,000 ft, 5 nm northeast, 10:28 pm EDT (02:28 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. 428 nm along the route, 5 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
PTK UA /OV 6 W/TM 0228/FL030/TP C560/SK BASES 019 TOPS 030 OVC
```
Report
a routine report filed through PTK
Where
6 west
Time
02:28 UTC
Height
at 3,000 ft
Aircraft
C560
Sky
bases 1,900 ft tops 3,000 ft overcast
C25B at 2,000 ft, 5 nm northeast, 10:18 pm EDT (02:18 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. 428 nm along the route, 5 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
PTK UA /OV 2 W/TM 0218/FL020/TP C25B/SK BASES 020 OVC
```
Report
a routine report filed through PTK
Where
2 west
Time
02:18 UTC
Height
at 2,000 ft
Aircraft
C25B
Sky
bases 2,000 ft overcast
UAL2499 at 28,000 ft, 11 nm south, 10:15 pm EDT (02:15 UTC): light chop turbulence. 796 nm along the route, 11 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ARP UAL2499 4138N 09137W 0215 F280 TB INTMT LGT CHOP IC
```
Report
a routine report filed through ARP

Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 02:00–09:00 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 (ALB, SYR, BUF, CLE, MKG, JOT, DBQ, DSM). 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	270° at 13 kt	+13 kt		107 kt	8 h 16 min	8:30 am CDT (13:30 UTC)
6,500 ft	300° at 12 kt	+11 kt	12 °C	109 kt	8 h 07 min	8:21 am CDT (13:21 UTC)
8,500 ft	310° at 10 kt	+8 kt	9 °C	112 kt	7 h 54 min	8:08 am CDT (13:08 UTC)
10,500 ft	300° at 9 kt	+8 kt	6 °C	112 kt	7 h 54 min	8:08 am CDT (13:08 UTC)
12,500 ft	300° at 10 kt	+9 kt	2 °C	111 kt	7 h 58 min	8:12 am CDT (13:12 UTC)
14,500 ft	300° at 14 kt	+12 kt	-2 °C	108 kt	8 h 12 min	8:26 am CDT (13:26 UTC)
16,500 ft	300° at 18 kt	+16 kt	-6 °C	104 kt	8 h 31 min	8:45 am CDT (13:45 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	300° at 21 kt	+18 kt	-9 °C	102 kt	8 h 41 min	8:55 am CDT (13:55 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	300° at 27 kt	+23 kt	-21 °C	97 kt	9 h 07 min	9:21 am CDT (14:21 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	300° at 33 kt	+27 kt	-36 °C	93 kt	9 h 31 min	9:45 am CDT (14:45 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	290° at 43 kt	+37 kt	-43 °C	83 kt	10 h 40 min	10:54 am CDT (15:54 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	290° at 51 kt	+45 kt	-51 °C	75 kt	11 h 48 min	12:02 pm CDT (17:02 UTC)

Based on data from the 12th at 00:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 06:00 UTC for use 02:00 to 09:00 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
ALB	used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line	120/9	270/8 10°	L/V 5°	260/9 1°	260/34 -10°	250/42 -22°	240/57 -35°	240/70 -42°	240/65 -50°
SYR	used from 50 nm out; 33 nm from the line	280/13	350/18 10°	340/10 6°	300/15 1°	280/17 -12°	270/16 -23°	280/25 -38°	250/40 -42°	240/53 -50°
BUF	used from 149 nm out; 44 nm from the line	320/10	010/16 10°	360/10 6°	340/13 2°	330/22 -11°	300/25 -23°	320/31 -38°	300/29 -44°	280/36 -50°
CLE	used from 298 nm out; 84 nm from the line	340/7	010/16 13°	350/18 8°	350/20 3°	340/31 -10°	340/46 -21°	340/54 -37°	330/62 -44°	340/65 -49°
MKG	used from 448 nm out; 85 nm from the line	260/22	290/16 15°	300/11 10°	290/5 3°	300/26 -9°	300/32 -20°	320/48 -36°	320/61 -45°	310/74 -53°
JOT	used from 597 nm out; 47 nm from the line	250/23	270/22 15°	250/16 10°	240/9 4°	280/22 -7°	280/29 -19°	300/29 -34°	290/50 -43°	300/64 -52°
DBQ	used from 696 nm out; 37 nm from the line	230/33	250/30 16°	280/15 9°	260/15 5°	260/21 -7°	260/24 -20°	250/37 -33°	270/42 -43°	280/63 -52°
DSM	used from 796 nm out; 65 nm from the line	230/40	250/33 17°	250/18 12°	240/17 5°	260/28 -8°	270/34 -19°	260/41 -33°	260/55 -41°	270/62 -51°

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
ALB Albany, NY	departure	IFR Sky: a broken layer at 600 feet, overcast at 1,400 feet Weather: light drizzle, mist	from the north (360°) at 5 knots	6 mi	600 ft	284 ft	12:51 am EDT (04:51 UTC)
VGC Hamilton, NY	80 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line	VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 1,200 feet	from the north-northwest (330°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	none	1,136 ft	04:55 UTC
ITH Ithaca, NY	119 nm out, 18 nm south of the line, tower	IFR Sky: a broken layer at 13,000 feet Weather: mist	calm	1 mi	13,000 ft	1,099 ft	05:08 UTC
BUF Buffalo, NY	219 nm out, 10 nm north of the line, tower	VFR Sky: a broken layer at 11,000 feet, a broken layer at 13,000 feet	calm	10+ mi	11,000 ft	726 ft	04:54 UTC
CYQS St Thomas,	318 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line	no report just now				776 ft
PTK Pontiac, MI	428 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line, tower	marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,000 feet	from the west-southwest (240°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	1,000 ft	980 ft	05:04 UTC
BTL Battle Creek, MI	507 nm out, 10 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	from the south-southwest (200°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	951 ft	04:53 UTC
UGN Chicago/Waukegan, IL	617 nm out, 11 nm northwest of the line, tower	VFR	from the southwest (230°) at 7 knots	10+ mi	none	728 ft	04:51 UTC
RFD Chicago/Rockford, IL	676 nm out, 4 nm north of the line, tower	VFR Sky: a broken layer at 25,000 feet	calm	10+ mi	25,000 ft	742 ft	04:54 UTC
CID Cedar Rapids, IA	796 nm out, 4 nm north of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (180°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	869 ft	02:52 UTC
TNU Newton, IA	855 nm out, 3 nm north of the line	VFR	from the south (180°) at 7 knots	10+ mi	none	952 ft	04:55 UTC
DSM Des Moines, IA	destination	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 20,000 feet	from the south (190°) at 10 knots	10+ mi	none	957 ft	11:54 pm CDT (04:54 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,136 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At DSM when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:08 am CDT (13:08 UTC)

Wind from the south at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for DSM

From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
From Sun 10:00 pm CDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the south at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 19, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet

The forecast for ALB, the departure

From Sun 10:00 pm EDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 4 knots, visibility 4 miles, light rain, mist, scattered clouds at 400 feet, overcast at 2,000 feet
At times between Sun 10:00 pm EDT (02:00 UTC) and 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): visibility 2 miles, light rain, mist, a broken layer at 400 feet
From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the north at 4 knots, visibility 1½ miles, light drizzle, mist, scattered clouds at 400 feet, overcast at 800 feet
From Mon 7:00 am EDT (11:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 5 knots, visibility 5 miles, mist, a broken layer at 800 feet, overcast at 1,500 feet
From Mon 11:00 am EDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 1,500 feet, overcast at 3,000 feet
From Mon 2:00 pm EDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 10 knots, gusting to 17, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 4,000 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 ALB 6:18 pm EDT (22:18 UTC), at DSM 6:38 pm CDT (23:38 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:06 pm CDT (00:06 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 Northeast · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · 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: Albany International, Des Moines International.