The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 10:36 am CDT (15:36 UTC)

The Eastern Iowa Airport to Albuquerque International Sunport CID → ABQ

810 nautical miles (933 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 244°, about 242° magnetic at the departure end (variation 2E). At 120 knots that is 8 h 32 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 25-knot headwind), arriving about 6:08 pm MDT (00:08 UTC). Right now CID is VFR, wind from the south (190°) at 10 knots; ABQ is VFR, wind from the southeast (140°) at 8 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 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

  • 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 59 to 405 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 34,000 ft to 43,000 ft. Over the last 208 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 22,000 ft. Over the route from 682 to 761 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 CID.

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

  • B38M at 18,000 ft, 17 nm south, 8:04 am CDT (13:04 UTC): light chop turbulence. 168 nm along the route, 17 nm south of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    EVU UA /OV EVU/TM 1304/FL180/TP B38M/TB CONS LGT CHOP
    Report
    a routine report filed through EVU
    Where
    over EVU
    Time
    13:04 UTC
    Height
    at 18,000 ft
    Aircraft
    B38M
    Turbulence
    continuous light chop
  • GLF4 at 38,000 ft, 11 nm southeast, 10:30 am CDT (15:30 UTC): light chop turbulence. 208 nm along the route, 11 nm southeast of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    AFK UA /OV PWE090025/TM 1530/FL380/TP GLF4/TB CONS LGT CHOP
    Report
    a routine report filed through AFK
    Where
    25 nm east (090°) of PWE
    Time
    15:30 UTC
    Height
    at 38,000 ft
    Aircraft
    GLF4
    Turbulence
    continuous light chop
  • C25B at 18,000 ft, 34 nm southeast, 9:44 am CDT (14:44 UTC): light rime icing from 18,000 ft to 21,000 ft, -5 °C, remarks: zkcfdc xj. 385 nm along the route, 34 nm southeast of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    GBD UA /OV GBD/TM 1444/FL180/TP C25B/TA M05/IC LGT RIME 180-210/RM /ZKCFDC XJ
    Report
    a routine report filed through GBD
    Where
    over GBD
    Time
    14:44 UTC
    Height
    at 18,000 ft
    Aircraft
    C25B
    Temperature
    −5 °C
    Icing
    light rime from 18,000 ft to 21,000 ft
    Remarks
    zkcfdc xj
  • LJ45 at 43,000 ft, 17 nm northwest, 10:01 am CDT (15:01 UTC): light to moderate chop turbulence, remarks: zab fdcs. 623 nm along the route, 17 nm northwest of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    TAD UA /OV TBE170015/TM 1501/FL430/TP LJ45/TB CONS LGT OCNL MOD CHOP/ MTN WAVE +/-300FT/RM ZAB FDCS
    Report
    a routine report filed through TAD
    Where
    15 nm south (170°) of TBE
    Time
    15:01 UTC
    Height
    at 43,000 ft
    Aircraft
    LJ45
    Turbulence
    continuous light occasional moderate chop mountain wave +/-300FT
    Remarks
    zab fdcs
  • BE30 at 15,000 ft, 18 nm northwest, 8:27 am CDT (13:27 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: zab fdcs. At the destination end, 18 nm northwest of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    SAF UA /OV SAF255015/TM 1327/FL150/TP BE30/TB CONS LGT CHOP OCNL MOD CHOP/RM ZAB FDCS
    Report
    a routine report filed through SAF
    Where
    15 nm west (255°) of SAF
    Time
    13:27 UTC
    Height
    at 15,000 ft
    Aircraft
    BE30
    Turbulence
    continuous light chop occasional moderate chop
    Remarks
    zab fdcs
  • C525 at 12,000 ft, 17 nm southeast, 9:44 am CDT (14:44 UTC): light to moderate turbulence. At the destination end, 17 nm southeast of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    ABQ UA /OV ABQ096028/TM 1444/FL120/TP C525/TB LGT-MOD
    Report
    a routine report filed through ABQ
    Where
    28 nm east (096°) of ABQ
    Time
    14:44 UTC
    Height
    at 12,000 ft
    Aircraft
    C525
    Turbulence
    light to moderate

Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 14:00–21:00 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 6 forecast points nearest it (DSM, OMA, SLN, GCK, TCC, ABQ). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft240° at 25 kt+25 kt20 °C95 kt8 h 32 min6:08 pm MDT (00:08 UTC)
6,500 ft240° at 28 kt+28 kt20 °C92 kt8 h 48 min6:24 pm MDT (00:24 UTC)
8,500 ft230° at 32 kt+31 kt14 °C89 kt9 h 06 min6:42 pm MDT (00:42 UTC)
10,500 ft230° at 36 kt+36 kt9 °C84 kt9 h 39 min7:15 pm MDT (01:15 UTC)
12,500 ft230° at 40 kt+39 kt5 °C81 kt10 h7:36 pm MDT (01:36 UTC)
14,500 ft240° at 41 kt+41 kt0 °C79 kt10 h 15 min7:51 pm MDT (01:51 UTC)
16,500 ft240° at 42 kt+42 kt-4 °C78 kt10 h 23 min7:59 pm MDT (01:59 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180240° at 43 kt+43 kt-7 °C77 kt10 h 31 min8:07 pm MDT (02:07 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240240° at 47 kt+48 kt-20 °C72 kt11 h 15 min8:51 pm MDT (02:51 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300250° at 71 kt+71 kt-28 °C49 kt16 h 32 min2:08 am MDT (08:08 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340260° at 77 kt+75 kt-37 °C45 kt18 h3:36 am MDT (09:36 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390260° at 72 kt+68 kt-48 °C52 kt15 h 35 min1:11 am MDT (07:11 UTC)

Based on data from the 12th at 12:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 18:00 UTC for use 14:00 to 21:00 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
DSMused from 0 nm out; 66 nm from the line230/34230/32 20°220/33 12°240/35 5°250/39 -7°250/43 -21°280/61 -31°280/73 -37°280/67 -47°
OMAused from 148 nm out; 55 nm from the line210/23240/34 20°230/40 14°220/43 7°240/38 -8°250/47 -21°270/70 -29°270/79 -36°270/68 -48°
SLNused from 247 nm out; 67 nm from the line210/26250/36 22°240/39 14°240/38 7°240/42 -9°240/49 -20°260/75 -27°260/76 -36°270/71 -48°
GCKused from 395 nm out; 59 nm from the line250/23 20°230/35 13°240/47 7°240/42 -7°250/43 -20°240/81 -28°250/87 -37°250/83 -49°
TCCused from 593 nm out; 100 nm from the line230/14240/29 12°220/39 6°230/48 -6°230/52 -19°230/77 -27°240/77 -37°250/71 -49°
ABQused from 741 nm out; 44 nm from the line200/19 9°220/32 3°230/52 -7°220/67 -20°230/86 -26°230/87 -36°230/87 -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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
CID Cedar Rapids, IA departure VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 10,000 feet from the south (190°) at 10 knots 10+ mi none 869 ft 9:52 am CDT (14:52 UTC)
PEA Pella, IA 59 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line VFR from the south-southwest (210°) at 9 knots 10+ mi none 885 ft 15:15 UTC
DSM Des Moines, IA 89 nm out, 20 nm northwest of the line, tower VFR Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 feet, a few clouds at 20,000 feet, a broken layer at 25,000 feet from the south-southwest (210°) at 13 knots, gusting to 21 10+ mi 25,000 ft 957 ft 14:54 UTC
ICL Clarinda, IA 168 nm out, 6 nm north of the line VFR from the south-southwest (210°) at 13 knots, gusting to 20 10+ mi none 995 ft 15:15 UTC
CNK Concordia, KS 306 nm out, 2 nm northeast of the line VFR Weather: light rain from the south-southwest (200°) at 16 knots, gusting to 28 10+ mi none 1,488 ft 14:55 UTC
HYS Hays, KS 395 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line VFR from the southwest (220°) at 12 knots 10+ mi none 1,999 ft 14:56 UTC
GCK Garden City, KS 474 nm out, 11 nm south of the line, tower VFR from the west-southwest (240°) at 18 knots 10+ mi none 2,890 ft 14:54 UTC
JHN Johnson City, KS 534 nm out, 5 nm east of the line VFR from the southwest (230°) at 13 knots 10+ mi none 3,325 ft 15:15 UTC
CAO Clayton, NM 623 nm out, 24 nm southeast of the line VFR from the southwest (220°) at 13 knots 10+ mi none 4,969 ft 14:55 UTC
SAF Santa Fe, NM 771 nm out, 14 nm northwest of the line, tower VFR Sky: a few clouds at 7,500 feet from the southeast (140°) at 6 knots 10+ mi none 6,348 ft 14:53 UTC
ABQ Albuquerque, NM destination VFR Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 feet, scattered clouds at 8,000 feet from the southeast (140°) at 8 knots 10+ mi none 5,354 ft 8:52 am MDT (14:52 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 6,348 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At ABQ when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:08 pm MDT (00:08 UTC)

Wind from the south-southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 7,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for ABQ
  • From Mon 6:00 am MDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 7,000 feet
  • From Mon 1:00 pm MDT (19:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 7,000 feet
  • From Mon 9:00 pm MDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the south at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 7,000 feet
The forecast for CID, the departure
  • From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a broken layer at 20,000 feet
  • From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 22, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 20,000 feet
  • From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, clear skies
  • From Tue 12:00 am CDT (05:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies

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 CID 6:30 pm CDT (23:30 UTC), at ABQ 6:34 pm MDT (00:34 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:59 pm MDT (00:59 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 upper Mississippi valley
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the southern Plains
Radar now, the southern Plains · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the southern Rockies
Radar now, the southern Rockies · 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: The Eastern Iowa Airport, Albuquerque International Sunport.