Centennial Airport to Smyrna Airport APA → MQY
894 nautical miles (1,029 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 098°, about 090° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 23 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 46-knot tailwind), arriving about 1:11 am CDT (06:11 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: 2 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 TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the first 79 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 30 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 6W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 28,000 ft to 40,000 ft. Over the last 30 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 APA.
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 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 9 forecast points nearest it (DEN, GLD, GCK, SLN, ICT, MKC, SGF, CGI, BNA). 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 19 kt | −6 kt | 126 kt | 7 h 06 min | 2:54 am CDT (07:54 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 220° at 19 kt | −10 kt | 21 °C | 130 kt | 6 h 53 min | 2:41 am CDT (07:41 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 230° at 20 kt | −14 kt | 15 °C | 134 kt | 6 h 40 min | 2:28 am CDT (07:28 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 250° at 21 kt | −18 kt | 12 °C | 138 kt | 6 h 29 min | 2:17 am CDT (07:17 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 260° at 21 kt | −20 kt | 8 °C | 140 kt | 6 h 23 min | 2:11 am CDT (07:11 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 270° at 22 kt | −22 kt | 3 °C | 142 kt | 6 h 18 min | 2:06 am CDT (07:06 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 270° at 23 kt | −23 kt | -2 °C | 143 kt | 6 h 15 min | 2:03 am CDT (07:03 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 270° at 24 kt | −25 kt | -6 °C | 145 kt | 6 h 10 min | 1:58 am CDT (06:58 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 24 kt | −25 kt | -7 °C | 145 kt | 6 h 10 min | 1:58 am CDT (06:58 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 270° at 25 kt | −25 kt | -18 °C | 145 kt | 6 h 10 min | 1:58 am CDT (06:58 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 270° at 39 kt | −40 kt | -32 °C | 160 kt | 5 h 35 min | 1:23 am CDT (06:23 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 45 kt | −46 kt | -40 °C | 166 kt | 5 h 23 min | 1:11 am CDT (06:11 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 280° at 44 kt | −46 kt | -50 °C | 166 kt | 5 h 23 min | 1:11 am CDT (06:11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | used from 0 nm out; 27 nm from the line | 190/31 16° | 210/32 7° | 240/41 -8° | 230/47 -21° | 240/56 -32° | 250/65 -37° | 250/61 -47° | ||
| GLD | used from 99 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 190/29 | 200/30 15° | 240/23 8° | 250/39 -7° | 230/39 -19° | 230/57 -31° | 240/67 -39° | 250/62 -49° | |
| GCK | used from 199 nm out; 68 nm from the line | 200/35 21° | 220/34 14° | 240/30 8° | 240/27 -6° | 240/31 -17° | 240/53 -30° | 250/55 -39° | 250/60 -50° | |
| SLN | used from 248 nm out; 66 nm from the line | 190/37 | 220/39 20° | 240/31 14° | 250/24 7° | 260/25 -7° | 250/26 -17° | 250/44 -31° | 260/47 -40° | 260/47 -50° |
| ICT | used from 397 nm out; 78 nm from the line | 190/34 | 210/34 18° | 240/28 13° | 260/23 7° | 250/23 -6° | 240/29 -17° | 260/40 -30° | 260/47 -40° | 270/42 -51° |
| MKC | used from 447 nm out; 67 nm from the line | 200/28 | 220/30 16° | 270/20 11° | 280/22 7° | 260/27 -6° | 270/27 -18° | 280/38 -32° | 270/38 -40° | 280/50 -52° |
| SGF | used from 497 nm out; 44 nm from the line | 210/21 | 210/21 16° | 240/28 12° | 260/24 7° | 280/21 -6° | 280/26 -18° | 290/38 -31° | 290/37 -41° | 300/49 -52° |
| CGI | used from 646 nm out; 65 nm from the line | 250/10 | 290/12 17° | 290/18 11° | 300/22 5° | 320/25 -8° | 330/30 -18° | 320/53 -33° | 320/66 -42° | 320/56 -50° |
| BNA | used from 795 nm out; 65 nm from the line | 280/13 | 340/34 16° | 330/38 10° | 330/44 5° | 330/39 -8° | 330/38 -19° | 320/49 -34° | 330/53 -40° | 330/35 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APA Denver, CO | departure | no report just now | 5,884 ft | ||||
| LIC Limon, CO | 60 nm out, 10 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 5,374 ft | ||||
| ITR Burlington, CO | 119 nm out, 2 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 4,218 ft | ||||
| OEL Oakley, KS | 189 nm out, 3 nm north of the line | no report just now | 3,045 ft | ||||
| SLN Salina, KS | 338 nm out, 14 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,288 ft | ||||
| EMP Emporia, KS | 407 nm out, 5 nm east of the line | no report just now | 1,207 ft | ||||
| NVD Nevada, MO | 507 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 892 ft | ||||
| TBN Fort Leonard Wood, MO | 606 nm out, 17 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,159 ft | ||||
| PYN Piedmont, MO | 685 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 466 ft | ||||
| CGI Cape Girardeau, MO | 735 nm out, 23 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 341 ft | ||||
| JWN Nashville, TN | 874 nm out, 4 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 501 ft | ||||
| MQY Smyrna, TN | destination | no report just now | 543 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 5,884 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MQY when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:11 am CDT (06:11 UTC)
MQY has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/0708 Goodlettsville, TN, Saturday, August 1, 2026 through Sunday, August 1, 2027 UTC 16 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · until 1 August · ZME
Daylight
Sunset at APA 6:24 pm MDT (00:24 UTC), at MQY 6:14 pm CDT (23:14 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:40 pm CDT (23:40 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at MQY is before sunrise there (6:50 am CDT (11:50 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: Centennial Airport, Smyrna Airport.