The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 7:08 am CDT (12:08 UTC)

The Eastern Iowa Airport to Topeka Regional CID → FOE

252 nautical miles (290 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 227°, about 225° magnetic at the departure end (variation 2E). At 120 knots that is 2 h 28 min at the quickest height in today's winds (8,500 ft, a 18-knot headwind), arriving about 9:36 am CDT (14:36 UTC). Right now CID is VFR, wind from the south (190°) at 10 knots; FOE is VFR, wind from the south (180°) at 12 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 whole 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 CID.

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

  • urgent B763 at 2,000 ft, 0 nm southeast, 6:57 am CDT (11:57 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. At the destination end, 0 nm southeast of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    FOE UUA /OV 130003/TM 1157/FL020/TP B763/WV LLWS
    Report
    an urgent report filed through FOE
    Where
    wind from 130° at 3 knots
    Time
    11:57 UTC
    Height
    at 2,000 ft
    Aircraft
    B763
    Wind
    low-level wind shear
  • PC12 at 22,000 ft, 48 nm west, 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): light rime icing, -9 °C, remarks: no icing at FL200 zkcfdc xj. At the destination end, 48 nm west of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    MHK UA /OV MHK/TM 1200/FL220/TP PC12/TA M09/IC LGT RIME/RM NEG ICING AT FL200 /ZKCFDC XJ
    Report
    a routine report filed through MHK
    Where
    over MHK
    Time
    12:00 UTC
    Height
    at 22,000 ft
    Aircraft
    PC12
    Temperature
    −9 °C
    Icing
    light rime
    Remarks
    no icing at FL200 zkcfdc xj

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 3 forecast points nearest it (BRL, DSM, MKC). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft250° at 33 kt+31 kt89 kt2 h 50 min9:58 am CDT (14:58 UTC)
6,500 ft250° at 21 kt+20 kt18 °C100 kt2 h 31 min9:39 am CDT (14:39 UTC)
8,500 ft240° at 18 kt+18 kt13 °C102 kt2 h 28 min9:36 am CDT (14:36 UTC)
10,500 ft240° at 20 kt+20 kt9 °C100 kt2 h 31 min9:39 am CDT (14:39 UTC)
12,500 ft240° at 23 kt+22 kt4 °C98 kt2 h 34 min9:42 am CDT (14:42 UTC)
14,500 ft250° at 24 kt+22 kt0 °C98 kt2 h 34 min9:42 am CDT (14:42 UTC)
16,500 ft260° at 24 kt+21 kt-5 °C99 kt2 h 33 min9:41 am CDT (14:41 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180260° at 25 kt+20 kt-8 °C100 kt2 h 31 min9:39 am CDT (14:39 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240260° at 38 kt+33 kt-20 °C87 kt2 h 54 min10:02 am CDT (15:02 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300270° at 56 kt+42 kt-33 °C78 kt3 h 14 min10:22 am CDT (15:22 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340270° at 62 kt+43 kt-38 °C77 kt3 h 16 min10:24 am CDT (15:24 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390280° at 61 kt+37 kt-48 °C83 kt3 h 02 min10:10 am CDT (15:10 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
BRLused from 0 nm out; 66 nm from the line250/32250/19 17°260/15 11°270/16 3°290/23 -7°260/42 -20°270/52 -34°280/63 -39°290/64 -48°
DSMused from 49 nm out; 45 nm from the line250/47260/25 20°240/19 11°240/31 5°250/26 -9°260/38 -20°260/47 -34°270/58 -37°270/61 -47°
MKCused from 146 nm out; 49 nm from the line240/49240/21 20°220/19 13°230/21 6°260/26 -7°250/37 -19°270/66 -31°270/65 -38°280/60 -48°

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 from the south (190°) at 10 knots 10+ mi none 869 ft 6:52 am CDT (11:52 UTC)
TZT Belle Plaine, IA 19 nm out, 17 nm northwest of the line no report just now 771 ft
OOA Oskaloosa, IA 49 nm out, 6 nm south of the line VFR from the south (190°) at 7 knots 7 mi none 840 ft 11:55 UTC
LWD Lamoni, IA 126 nm out, 14 nm northwest of the line VFR from the south (180°) at 9 knots 10+ mi none 1,130 ft 11:53 UTC
TRX Trenton, MO 136 nm out, 20 nm southeast of the line no report just now 757 ft
STJ St Joseph, MO 194 nm out, 10 nm northwest of the line, tower VFR from the south (180°) at 9 knots 10+ mi none 826 ft 11:53 UTC
FLV Fort Leavenworth, KS 213 nm out, 8 nm east of the line no report just now 771 ft
FOE Topeka, KS destination VFR from the south (180°) at 12 knots 10+ mi none 1,077 ft 6:53 am CDT (11:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,130 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At FOE when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 9:36 am CDT (14:36 UTC)

Wind from the south-southwest at 17 knots, gusting to 28, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 20,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for FOE
  • From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south at 13 knots, gusting to 18, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 17 knots, gusting to 28, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 20,000 feet
  • From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 15,000 feet
  • From Tue 3:00 am CDT (08:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 3,000 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 FOE 6:48 pm CDT (23:48 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:15 pm CDT (00:15 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, 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, Topeka Regional.