The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 4:05 am CDT (09:05 UTC)

Bismarck Municipal to Abilene Regional BIS → ABI

864 nautical miles (994 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 176°, about 169° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7E). At 120 knots that is 7 h 31 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 5-knot headwind), arriving about 11:36 am CDT (16:36 UTC). 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 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

  • SIGMET C15C: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 35,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 5:55 am CDT (10:55 UTC). Near the route, 79 nm along the route.
    as issued
    WSUS32 KKCI 120855
    MKCC WST 120855
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 15C
    VALID UNTIL 1055Z
    SD ND
    FROM 50SE DIK-50ENE DPR-40ENE RAP-50NNW RAP-50SE DIK
    AREA TS MOV FROM 22040KT. TOPS TO FL350.
  • 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 298 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 228 to 814 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 BIS.

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 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 (DIK, PIR, ONL, GRI, GLD, GCK, GAG, SPS, ABI). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
5,500 ft230° at 28 kt+16 kt19 °C104 kt8 h 18 min12:23 pm CDT (17:23 UTC)
7,500 ft230° at 27 kt+15 kt16 °C105 kt8 h 14 min12:19 pm CDT (17:19 UTC)
9,500 ft230° at 26 kt+15 kt13 °C105 kt8 h 14 min12:19 pm CDT (17:19 UTC)
11,500 ft230° at 25 kt+15 kt8 °C105 kt8 h 14 min12:19 pm CDT (17:19 UTC)
13,500 ft230° at 26 kt+17 kt3 °C103 kt8 h 23 min12:28 pm CDT (17:28 UTC)
15,500 ft230° at 28 kt+18 kt-2 °C102 kt8 h 28 min12:33 pm CDT (17:33 UTC)
17,500 ft230° at 30 kt+20 kt-7 °C100 kt8 h 38 min12:43 pm CDT (17:43 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180220° at 30 kt+20 kt-8 °C100 kt8 h 38 min12:43 pm CDT (17:43 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240230° at 41 kt+27 kt-20 °C93 kt9 h 17 min1:22 pm CDT (18:22 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300250° at 55 kt+18 kt-30 °C102 kt8 h 28 min12:33 pm CDT (17:33 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340260° at 55 kt+8 kt-37 °C112 kt7 h 43 min11:48 am CDT (16:48 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390260° at 55 kt+5 kt-48 °C115 kt7 h 31 min11:36 am CDT (16:36 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
DIKused from 0 nm out; 90 nm from the line190/12 5°230/29 7°220/33 1°220/43 -11°210/47 -23°220/53 -33°240/56 -40°250/72 -47°
PIRused from 50 nm out; 71 nm from the line230/15 15°220/22 14°220/24 6°200/32 -10°210/48 -22°240/45 -33°240/43 -37°250/55 -46°
ONLused from 248 nm out; 75 nm from the line250/31 22°230/27 16°220/25 8°230/25 -9°220/29 -22°250/42 -33°250/48 -36°250/52 -46°
GRIused from 298 nm out; 94 nm from the line230/39 23°230/32 15°210/29 7°230/31 -8°230/43 -21°250/52 -31°260/59 -35°260/59 -46°
GLDused from 397 nm out; 74 nm from the line260/37260/25 14°250/27 8°230/36 -8°230/49 -21°250/71 -30°260/82 -36°250/73 -48°
GCKused from 447 nm out; 67 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°
GAGused from 596 nm out; 12 nm from the line240/35 22°240/27 14°230/25 6°240/38 -7°230/44 -19°250/73 -28°270/66 -37°270/58 -49°
SPSused from 695 nm out; 83 nm from the line220/35220/31 18°230/16 14°230/10 8°250/18 -5°250/32 -16°260/51 -28°280/46 -38°300/50 -50°
ABIused from 794 nm out; 45 nm from the line200/30 19°220/12 16°220/11 9°230/15 -5°250/26 -15°250/39 -28°270/36 -38°280/30 -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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
BIS Bismarck, ND departure no report just now 1,661 ft
MBG Mobridge, SD 69 nm out, 11 nm southeast of the line no report just now 1,716 ft
PIR Pierre, SD 149 nm out, 12 nm northeast of the line no report just now 1,744 ft
VTN Valentine, NE 238 nm out, 7 nm northwest of the line no report just now 2,595 ft
TIF Thedford, NE 288 nm out, 10 nm west of the line no report just now 2,925 ft
CSB Cambridge, NE 387 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line no report just now 2,414 ft
HLC Hill City, KS 447 nm out, 14 nm east of the line no report just now 2,238 ft
DDC Dodge City, KS 546 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line no report just now 2,595 ft
GAG Gage, OK 635 nm out, 9 nm northeast of the line no report just now 2,223 ft
CDS Childress, TX 745 nm out, 24 nm west of the line no report just now 1,953 ft
ABI Abilene, TX destination no report just now 1,790 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 2,925 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At ABI when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 11:36 am CDT (16:36 UTC)

ABI 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 BIS 6:59 pm CDT (23:59 UTC), at ABI 7:08 pm CDT (00:08 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:33 pm CDT (00:33 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
Radar now, the northern Rockies · 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: Bismarck Municipal, Abilene Regional.