Billings Logan International to Portland International BIL → PDX
589 nautical miles (677 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 274°, about 264° magnetic at the departure end (variation 10E). At 120 knots that is 4 h 32 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 10-knot tailwind), arriving about 2:47 am PDT (09:47 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: 706 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 289 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the first 0 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 10 to 409 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the route from 120 to 319 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the last 180 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 BIL.
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 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 5 forecast points nearest it (BIL, DLN, LWS, YKM, PDX). 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 | 070° at 11 kt | −10 kt | 130 kt | 4 h 32 min | 2:47 am PDT (09:47 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 060° at 11 kt | −10 kt | -2 °C | 130 kt | 4 h 32 min | 2:47 am PDT (09:47 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 040° at 9 kt | −7 kt | -6 °C | 127 kt | 4 h 38 min | 2:53 am PDT (09:53 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 030° at 3 kt | −2 kt | -6 °C | 122 kt | 4 h 50 min | 3:05 am PDT (10:05 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 220° at 5 kt | +2 kt | -8 °C | 118 kt | 4 h 59 min | 3:14 am PDT (10:14 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 210° at 8 kt | +2 kt | -12 °C | 118 kt | 4 h 59 min | 3:14 am PDT (10:14 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 200° at 11 kt | +3 kt | -15 °C | 117 kt | 5 h 02 min | 3:17 am PDT (10:17 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 200° at 14 kt | +3 kt | -18 °C | 117 kt | 5 h 02 min | 3:17 am PDT (10:17 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 190° at 16 kt | +1 kt | -27 °C | 119 kt | 4 h 57 min | 3:12 am PDT (10:12 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 21 kt | +13 kt | -35 °C | 107 kt | 5 h 30 min | 3:45 am PDT (10:45 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 230° at 30 kt | +22 kt | -38 °C | 98 kt | 6 h 01 min | 4:16 am PDT (11:16 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 230° at 36 kt | +27 kt | -41 °C | 93 kt | 6 h 20 min | 4:35 am PDT (11:35 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIL | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 080/13 | 180/9 -2° | 210/38 0° | 220/51 -11° | 210/46 -22° | 210/58 -35° | 230/73 -39° | 230/72 -45° | |
| DLN | used from 100 nm out; 58 nm from the line | 090/6 -6° | 240/22 -4° | 210/34 -16° | 210/62 -25° | 210/66 -34° | 210/82 -36° | 220/77 -42° | ||
| LWS | used from 249 nm out; 84 nm from the line | 070/10 | 080/12 -2° | 030/12 -6° | 080/7 -10° | 170/34 -21° | 160/46 -32° | 200/33 -35° | 220/22 -35° | 230/18 -38° |
| YKM | used from 449 nm out; 56 nm from the line | 070/10 | 040/15 -1° | 020/27 -8° | 030/25 -13° | 020/48 -20° | 010/83 -27° | 010/77 -37° | 010/49 -40° | 350/14 -41° |
| PDX | used from 549 nm out; 20 nm from the line | L/V | 030/7 1° | 020/12 -6° | 020/29 -9° | 010/69 -16° | 010/81 -25° | 360/83 -40° | 360/67 -46° | 320/29 -42° |
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 | no report just now | 3,662 ft | ||||
| BZN Bozeman, MT | 110 nm out, 7 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 4,473 ft | ||||
| BTM Butte, MT | 170 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 5,550 ft | ||||
| HRF Hamilton, MT | 229 nm out, 20 nm north of the line | no report just now | 3,635 ft | ||||
| GIC Grangeville, ID | 319 nm out, 3 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 3,313 ft | ||||
| ALW Walla Walla, WA | 409 nm out, 15 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,194 ft | ||||
| PDT Pendleton, OR | 429 nm out, 8 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,494 ft | ||||
| DLS The Dalles, OR | 529 nm out, 4 nm south of the line | no report just now | 246 ft | ||||
| CZK Cascade Locks, OR | 559 nm out, 2 nm north of the line | no report just now | 151 ft | ||||
| PDX Portland, OR | destination | no report just now | 30 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 5,550 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At PDX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:47 am PDT (09:47 UTC)
PDX 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 BIL 6:33 pm MDT (00:33 UTC), at PDX 6:30 pm PDT (01:30 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:00 pm PDT (02:00 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at PDX is before sunrise there (7:22 am PDT (14:22 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: Billings Logan International, Portland International.