Plan a flight · Mon 6:17 am MDT (12:17 UTC)

Billings Logan International to University Of Illinois/Willard Airport BIL → CMI

953 nautical miles (1,096 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 104°, about 094° magnetic at the departure end (variation 10E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 42 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 47-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:59 pm CDT (17:59 UTC). Right now BIL is marginal VFR, wind from the west-northwest (290°) at 4 knots; CMI is VFR, wind from the southwest (230°) at 6 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

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 first 496 nm of the route.
AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 10 nm of the route.
AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the first 30 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 526 to 824 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 BIL.

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

B38M at 32,000 ft, 18 nm north, 5:45 am MDT (11:45 UTC): light chop turbulence. 586 nm along the route, 18 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
FOD UA /OV FOD285060/TM 1145/FL320/TP B38M/TB CONS LGT CHOP OCNL MOD CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through FOD
Where
60 nm west (285°) of FOD
Time
11:45 UTC
Height
at 32,000 ft
Aircraft
B38M
Turbulence
continuous light chop occasional moderate chop
B38M at 32,000 ft, 38 nm north, 5:35 am MDT (11:35 UTC): light chop turbulence above 32,000 ft. 675 nm along the route, 38 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
FOD UA /OV FOD075035/TM 1135/FL320/TP B38M/TB CONS LGT CHOP 320/INTMT LGT CHOP 340
```
Report
a routine report filed through FOD
Where
35 nm east (075°) of FOD
Time
11:35 UTC
Height
at 32,000 ft
Aircraft
B38M
Turbulence
continuous light chop 320/INTMT light chop at 34,000 ft

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 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 8 forecast points nearest it (BIL, MLS, RAP, PIR, FSD, DSM, BRL, SPI). 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	250° at 29 kt	−19 kt		139 kt	6 h 51 min	2:08 pm CDT (19:08 UTC)
5,500 ft	250° at 21 kt	−16 kt	11 °C	136 kt	7 h	2:17 pm CDT (19:17 UTC)
7,500 ft	250° at 20 kt	−14 kt	13 °C	134 kt	7 h 07 min	2:24 pm CDT (19:24 UTC)
9,500 ft	240° at 21 kt	−14 kt	9 °C	134 kt	7 h 07 min	2:24 pm CDT (19:24 UTC)
11,500 ft	240° at 24 kt	−15 kt	5 °C	135 kt	7 h 04 min	2:21 pm CDT (19:21 UTC)
13,500 ft	240° at 24 kt	−15 kt	1 °C	135 kt	7 h 04 min	2:21 pm CDT (19:21 UTC)
15,500 ft	230° at 25 kt	−14 kt	-4 °C	134 kt	7 h 07 min	2:24 pm CDT (19:24 UTC)
17,500 ft	230° at 25 kt	−14 kt	-8 °C	134 kt	7 h 07 min	2:24 pm CDT (19:24 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	230° at 25 kt	−13 kt	-9 °C	133 kt	7 h 10 min	2:27 pm CDT (19:27 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	230° at 35 kt	−19 kt	-22 °C	139 kt	6 h 51 min	2:08 pm CDT (19:08 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	250° at 43 kt	−33 kt	-33 °C	153 kt	6 h 14 min	1:31 pm CDT (18:31 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	250° at 49 kt	−40 kt	-38 °C	160 kt	5 h 57 min	1:14 pm CDT (18:14 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	260° at 54 kt	−47 kt	-47 °C	167 kt	5 h 42 min	12:59 pm CDT (17:59 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
BIL	used from 0 nm out; 25 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°
MLS	used from 50 nm out; 69 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°
RAP	used from 149 nm out; 88 nm from the line		250/28 16°	260/31 10°	240/25 4°	210/35 -10°	200/45 -23°	230/47 -31°	230/47 -36°	230/51 -46°
PIR	used from 298 nm out; 42 nm from the line		230/15 15°	220/22 14°	220/24 6°	200/32 -10°	210/48 -22°	240/45 -33°	240/43 -37°	250/55 -46°
FSD	used from 447 nm out; 57 nm from the line	210/20	230/23 21°	220/25 14°	230/30 5°	230/26 -9°	240/30 -21°	270/33 -36°	260/47 -37°	270/58 -47°
DSM	used from 595 nm out; 78 nm from the line	250/47	260/25 20°	240/19 11°	240/31 5°	250/26 -9°	260/38 -20°	260/47 -34°	270/58 -37°	270/61 -47°
BRL	used from 744 nm out; 51 nm from the line	250/32	250/19 17°	260/15 11°	270/16 3°	290/23 -7°	260/42 -20°	270/52 -34°	280/63 -39°	290/64 -48°
SPI	used from 844 nm out; 52 nm from the line	260/28	250/22 15°	250/14 9°	260/20 6°	280/27 -7°	280/34 -19°	280/48 -32°	280/59 -41°	300/60 -49°

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
BIL Billings, MT	departure	marginal VFR Sky: a few clouds at 1,200 feet, overcast at 2,500 feet	from the west-northwest (290°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	2,500 ft	3,662 ft	5:53 am MDT (11:53 UTC)
EFC Belle Fourche, SD	208 nm out, 8 nm south of the line	no report just now				3,190 ft
PHP Philip, SD	318 nm out, 18 nm southwest of the line	IFR Sky: overcast at 500 feet	from the northeast (050°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	500 ft	2,209 ft	11:55 UTC
MHE Mitchell, SD	466 nm out, 21 nm north of the line	low IFR Sky: overcast at 300 feet Weather: mist	from the north (010°) at 7 knots	5 mi	300 ft	1,304 ft	11:53 UTC
LRJ Le Mars, IA	556 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line	VFR	calm	7 mi	none	1,197 ft	11:55 UTC
SLB Storm Lake, IA	605 nm out, 3 nm north of the line	VFR	from the south (180°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	1,487 ft	11:55 UTC
GGI Grinnell, IA	724 nm out, 2 nm southeast of the line	VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 10,000 feet	from the south (180°) at 9 knots	10+ mi	none	1,008 ft	11:55 UTC
GBG Galesburg, IL	844 nm out, 4 nm north of the line	VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 11,000 feet	from the south (180°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	764 ft	11:55 UTC
PIA Peoria, IL	873 nm out, 6 nm east of the line, tower	VFR	from the south-southwest (200°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	660 ft	11:54 UTC
CMI Champaign/Urbana, IL	destination	VFR	from the southwest (230°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	754 ft	6:53 am CDT (11:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 3,662 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At CMI when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:59 pm CDT (17:59 UTC)

Wind from the south at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for CMI

From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 1:00 pm CDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
From Tue 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, clear skies

The forecast for BIL, the departure

From Mon 6:00 am MDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, light rain snow, a broken layer at 1,200 feet, overcast at 2,200 feet
From Mon 1:00 pm MDT (19:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 1,500 feet, overcast at 2,500 feet
From Mon 6:00 pm MDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the east at 9 knots, visibility 6 miles, light drizzle, mist, a few clouds at 300 feet, overcast at 1,800 feet
From Mon 10:00 pm MDT (04:00 UTC): wind from the east at 9 knots, visibility 4 miles, light drizzle, mist, scattered clouds at 300 feet, overcast at 1,200 feet
From Tue 3:00 am MDT (09:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility 3 miles, light rain, mist, scattered clouds at 300 feet, a broken layer at 1,200 feet and more above

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 BIL 6:32 pm MDT (00:32 UTC), at CMI 6:18 pm CDT (23:18 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:45 pm CDT (23:45 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 northern Rockies · 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: Billings Logan International, University Of Illinois/Willard Airport.