Bozeman Yellowstone International to Buffalo Niagara International BZN → BUF
1,392 nautical miles (1,602 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 085°, about 072° magnetic at the departure end (variation 13E). At 120 knots that is 7 h 47 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 59-knot tailwind), arriving about 11:53 am EDT (15:53 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: 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 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 646 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the first 99 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 60 to 288 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). Near the route, 308 nm along the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: 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 865 to 1124 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist, fog). Over the last 239 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 BZN.
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 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 10 forecast points nearest it (BIL, MLS, DIK, ABR, AXN, MSP, LSE, GRB, TVC, BUF). 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 15 kt | −13 kt | 133 kt | 10 h 28 min | 2:34 pm EDT (18:34 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 230° at 9 kt | −7 kt | 4 °C | 127 kt | 10 h 58 min | 3:04 pm EDT (19:04 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 240° at 12 kt | −10 kt | 10 °C | 130 kt | 10 h 42 min | 2:48 pm EDT (18:48 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 230° at 16 kt | −13 kt | 7 °C | 133 kt | 10 h 28 min | 2:34 pm EDT (18:34 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 230° at 23 kt | −18 kt | 4 °C | 138 kt | 10 h 05 min | 2:11 pm EDT (18:11 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 240° at 25 kt | −22 kt | 0 °C | 142 kt | 9 h 48 min | 1:54 pm EDT (17:54 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 250° at 27 kt | −25 kt | -5 °C | 145 kt | 9 h 36 min | 1:42 pm EDT (17:42 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 250° at 29 kt | −28 kt | -9 °C | 148 kt | 9 h 24 min | 1:30 pm EDT (17:30 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 29 kt | −29 kt | -10 °C | 149 kt | 9 h 21 min | 1:27 pm EDT (17:27 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 250° at 31 kt | −31 kt | -21 °C | 151 kt | 9 h 13 min | 1:19 pm EDT (17:19 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 260° at 33 kt | −34 kt | -36 °C | 154 kt | 9 h 02 min | 1:08 pm EDT (17:08 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 260° at 43 kt | −45 kt | -44 °C | 165 kt | 8 h 26 min | 12:32 pm EDT (16:32 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 270° at 58 kt | −59 kt | -50 °C | 179 kt | 7 h 47 min | 11:53 am EDT (15:53 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; 84 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° | |
| MLS | used from 149 nm out; 55 nm from the line | 150/23 2° | 190/29 4° | 210/44 2° | 220/32 -10° | 210/36 -21° | 200/48 -37° | 230/63 -40° | 240/71 -47° | |
| DIK | used from 298 nm out; 57 nm from the line | 150/24 7° | 200/38 6° | 220/53 0° | 230/51 -9° | 230/49 -21° | 240/37 -37° | 240/47 -44° | 250/65 -48° | |
| ABR | used from 448 nm out; 65 nm from the line | 070/14 | 250/10 17° | 270/16 11° | 260/28 5° | 260/36 -10° | 260/41 -22° | 270/33 -37° | 260/42 -42° | 260/50 -48° |
| AXN | used from 597 nm out; 40 nm from the line | 100/14 | 250/21 14° | 240/24 12° | 240/31 5° | 260/36 -10° | 260/40 -21° | 250/42 -36° | 260/48 -45° | 260/53 -50° |
| MSP | used from 696 nm out; 47 nm from the line | 230/26 | 240/30 17° | 240/24 12° | 250/22 5° | 250/35 -10° | 260/36 -21° | 250/41 -36° | 250/49 -45° | 260/58 -52° |
| LSE | used from 845 nm out; 80 nm from the line | 230/40 | 240/24 17° | 240/13 10° | 250/13 6° | 280/22 -9° | 250/28 -21° | 250/41 -34° | 260/42 -44° | 270/62 -53° |
| GRB | used from 895 nm out; 57 nm from the line | 250/36 | 270/23 16° | 270/14 9° | 240/18 4° | 280/26 -9° | 280/29 -20° | 290/42 -36° | 290/51 -45° | 290/72 -55° |
| TVC | used from 1044 nm out; 24 nm from the line | 260/31 | 280/22 15° | 290/18 10° | 270/13 2° | 290/25 -10° | 300/35 -21° | 310/52 -37° | 320/59 -47° | 300/84 -54° |
| BUF | used from 1243 nm out; 124 nm from the line | 320/10 | 010/16 10° | 360/10 6° | 340/13 2° | 330/22 -11° | 300/25 -23° | 320/31 -38° | 300/29 -44° | 280/36 -50° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BZN Bozeman, MT | departure | no report just now | 4,473 ft | ||||
| BIL Billings, MT | 109 nm out, 5 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 3,662 ft | ||||
| LEM Lemmon, SD | 378 nm out, 1 nm south of the line | no report just now | 2,572 ft | ||||
| ASY Ashley, ND | 497 nm out, 12 nm north of the line | no report just now | 2,034 ft | ||||
| MOX Morris, MN | 637 nm out, 4 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,135 ft | ||||
| STC St Cloud, MN | 716 nm out, 4 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,030 ft | ||||
| CWA Mosinee, WI | 905 nm out, 12 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,277 ft | ||||
| GRB Green Bay, WI | 975 nm out, 16 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 695 ft | ||||
| BAX Bad Axe, MI | 1203 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 763 ft | ||||
| CYSN St Catharines, | 1373 nm out, 9 nm north of the line | no report just now | 321 ft | ||||
| BUF Buffalo, NY | destination | no report just now | 726 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 4,473 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At BUF when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 11:53 am EDT (15:53 UTC)
BUF has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/6656 ANOKA, MN, Monday, October 5, 2026 through Monday, October 19, 2026 Local 12 nm from the route, 746 nm along the route · security · until 19 October · ZMP
Daylight
Sunset at BZN 6:42 pm MDT (00:42 UTC), at BUF 6:37 pm EDT (22:37 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:06 pm EDT (23:06 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: Bozeman Yellowstone International, Buffalo Niagara International.