Nashville International to Joe Foss Field BNA → FSD
644 nautical miles (741 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 317°, about 320° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 5 h 39 min at the quickest height in today's winds (8,500 ft, a 6-knot headwind), arriving about 12:17 pm CDT (17:17 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: 217 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 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 307 to 604 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Near the route, at the destination end.
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 BNA.
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 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 7 forecast points nearest it (BNA, EVV, CGI, STL, BRL, DSM, FSD). 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 | 250° at 24 kt | +12 kt | 108 kt | 5 h 58 min | 12:36 pm CDT (17:36 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 250° at 19 kt | +9 kt | 16 °C | 111 kt | 5 h 48 min | 12:26 pm CDT (17:26 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 250° at 17 kt | +6 kt | 12 °C | 114 kt | 5 h 39 min | 12:17 pm CDT (17:17 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 250° at 19 kt | +7 kt | 8 °C | 113 kt | 5 h 42 min | 12:20 pm CDT (17:20 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 250° at 22 kt | +10 kt | 4 °C | 110 kt | 5 h 51 min | 12:29 pm CDT (17:29 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 260° at 22 kt | +12 kt | 0 °C | 108 kt | 5 h 58 min | 12:36 pm CDT (17:36 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 260° at 23 kt | +15 kt | -5 °C | 105 kt | 6 h 08 min | 12:46 pm CDT (17:46 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 24 kt | +16 kt | -7 °C | 104 kt | 6 h 12 min | 12:50 pm CDT (17:50 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 260° at 33 kt | +21 kt | -20 °C | 99 kt | 6 h 30 min | 1:08 pm CDT (18:08 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 280° at 42 kt | +33 kt | -33 °C | 87 kt | 7 h 24 min | 2:02 pm CDT (19:02 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 54 kt | +45 kt | -39 °C | 75 kt | 8 h 35 min | 3:13 pm CDT (20:13 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 290° at 55 kt | +50 kt | -49 °C | 70 kt | 9 h 12 min | 3:50 pm CDT (20:50 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BNA | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 300/20 | 300/14 15° | 300/14 10° | 300/13 4° | 310/22 -5° | 280/24 -18° | 310/37 -33° | 310/50 -41° | 320/49 -51° |
| EVV | used from 50 nm out; 62 nm from the line | 270/25 | 290/17 15° | 260/10 8° | 270/16 5° | 280/29 -6° | 280/33 -19° | 290/38 -33° | 300/53 -41° | 310/54 -51° |
| CGI | used from 149 nm out; 62 nm from the line | 260/22 | 250/15 15° | 250/13 11° | 250/16 6° | 270/29 -7° | 280/30 -18° | 290/40 -31° | 290/55 -40° | 300/51 -51° |
| STL | used from 198 nm out; 21 nm from the line | 250/26 | 240/21 15° | 240/22 11° | 250/23 6° | 270/28 -7° | 260/30 -19° | 280/52 -31° | 280/57 -40° | 300/57 -49° |
| BRL | used from 297 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° |
| DSM | used from 396 nm out; 39 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° |
| FSD | used from 545 nm out; 74 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° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BNA Nashville, TN | departure | no report just now | 599 ft | ||||
| HVC Hopkinsville, KY | 59 nm out, 3 nm east of the line | no report just now | 563 ft | ||||
| GDA Marion, KY | 99 nm out, 1 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 652 ft | ||||
| MWA Marion, IL | 149 nm out, 14 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 471 ft | ||||
| ALN Alton/St Louis, IL | 228 nm out, 3 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 543 ft | ||||
| PPQ Pittsfield, IL | 287 nm out, 7 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 709 ft | ||||
| EOK Keokuk, IA | 347 nm out, 22 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 671 ft | ||||
| OXV Knoxville, IA | 436 nm out, 6 nm east of the line | no report just now | 928 ft | ||||
| DSM Des Moines, IA | 456 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 957 ft | ||||
| SLB Storm Lake, IA | 555 nm out, 1 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,487 ft | ||||
| SHL Sheldon, IA | 594 nm out, 10 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,419 ft | ||||
| FSD Sioux Falls, SD | destination | no report just now | 1,430 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,487 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At FSD when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:17 pm CDT (17:17 UTC)
FSD 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 8 nm from the route, at the departure end · security · until 1 August · ZME
Daylight
Sunset at BNA 6:15 pm CDT (23:15 UTC), at FSD 6:49 pm CDT (23:49 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:17 pm CDT (00:17 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: Nashville International, Joe Foss Field.