The Eastern Iowa Airport to Missoula Montana Airport CID → MSO
1,002 nautical miles (1,154 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 295°, about 293° magnetic at the departure end (variation 2E). At 120 knots that is 9 h 12 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 11-knot headwind), arriving about 2:09 pm MDT (20:09 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: 1 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 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 first 189 nm of the route.
- 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 route from 268 to 973 nm out.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 625 to 715 nm out.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 18,000 ft. Over the last 268 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the last 258 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the last 20 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 CID.
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 9 forecast points nearest it (DBQ, MCW, FSD, PIR, RAP, MLS, BIL, GTF, GPI). 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 15 kt | +11 kt | 10 °C | 109 kt | 9 h 12 min | 2:09 pm MDT (20:09 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 250° at 16 kt | +12 kt | 14 °C | 108 kt | 9 h 17 min | 2:14 pm MDT (20:14 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 240° at 18 kt | +12 kt | 11 °C | 108 kt | 9 h 17 min | 2:14 pm MDT (20:14 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 240° at 21 kt | +13 kt | 4 °C | 107 kt | 9 h 22 min | 2:19 pm MDT (20:19 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 240° at 23 kt | +15 kt | 1 °C | 105 kt | 9 h 33 min | 2:30 pm MDT (20:30 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 230° at 24 kt | +14 kt | -4 °C | 106 kt | 9 h 27 min | 2:24 pm MDT (20:24 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 230° at 26 kt | +13 kt | -8 °C | 107 kt | 9 h 22 min | 2:19 pm MDT (20:19 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 27 kt | +13 kt | -11 °C | 107 kt | 9 h 22 min | 2:19 pm MDT (20:19 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 37 kt | +17 kt | -23 °C | 103 kt | 9 h 44 min | 2:41 pm MDT (20:41 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 230° at 41 kt | +26 kt | -35 °C | 94 kt | 10 h 40 min | 3:37 pm MDT (21:37 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 240° at 50 kt | +32 kt | -38 °C | 88 kt | 11 h 23 min | 4:20 pm MDT (22:20 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 240° at 58 kt | +43 kt | -46 °C | 77 kt | 13 h 01 min | 5:58 pm MDT (23:58 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DBQ | used from 0 nm out; 70 nm from the line | 250/27 | 260/23 17° | 240/26 10° | 260/30 4° | 280/26 -9° | 280/36 -21° | 270/41 -36° | 280/52 -41° | 290/67 -48° |
| MCW | used from 50 nm out; 46 nm from the line | 250/36 | 250/24 19° | 240/26 11° | 250/30 5° | 270/22 -9° | 260/30 -21° | 260/31 -36° | 280/53 -38° | 280/66 -48° |
| FSD | used from 149 nm out; 71 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° |
| PIR | used from 347 nm out; 32 nm from the line | 230/15 15° | 220/22 14° | 220/24 6° | 200/32 -10° | 210/48 -22° | 240/45 -33° | 240/43 -37° | 250/55 -46° | |
| RAP | used from 496 nm out; 61 nm from the line | 250/28 16° | 260/31 10° | 240/25 4° | 210/35 -10° | 200/45 -23° | 230/47 -31° | 230/47 -36° | 230/51 -46° | |
| MLS | used from 595 nm out; 63 nm from the line | 290/17 -1° | 250/18 0° | 230/25 0° | 220/31 -11° | 220/32 -24° | 220/50 -32° | 220/60 -38° | 230/71 -46° | |
| BIL | used from 695 nm out; 49 nm from the line | 300/14 | 270/19 -2° | 260/26 -2° | 220/28 -13° | 210/51 -25° | 220/56 -33° | 220/61 -39° | 220/72 -45° | |
| GTF | used from 844 nm out; 62 nm from the line | L/V | L/V -7° | 240/8 -8° | 240/30 -14° | 240/40 -28° | 210/52 -38° | 210/76 -38° | 220/72 -43° | |
| GPI | used from 992 nm out; 85 nm from the line | 090/8 -4° | 140/7 -7° | 090/10 -8° | 110/10 -19° | 210/25 -30° | 200/24 -40° | 210/31 -39° | 210/35 -42° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CID Cedar Rapids, IA | departure | no report just now | 869 ft | ||||
| ALO Waterloo, IA | 50 nm out, 24 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 873 ft | ||||
| SHL Sheldon, IA | 198 nm out, 1 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,419 ft | ||||
| FSD Sioux Falls, SD | 248 nm out, 7 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,430 ft | ||||
| MKA Miller, SD | 357 nm out, 24 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 1,569 ft | ||||
| PIR Pierre, SD | 407 nm out, 4 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,744 ft | ||||
| BIL Billings, MT | 764 nm out, 20 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 3,662 ft | ||||
| HWQ Harlowton, MT | 824 nm out, 6 nm north of the line | no report just now | 4,311 ft | ||||
| HLN Helena, MT | 913 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 3,877 ft | ||||
| MSO Missoula, MT | destination | no report just now | 3,205 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 4,311 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MSO when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:09 pm MDT (20:09 UTC)
MSO has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8923 Kalispell, MT, Wednesday, October 14, 2026 through Wednesday, October 14, 2026 Local on the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · starts Wednesday 14 October · ZLC
- 6/8925 Kalispell, MT, Wednesday, October 14, 2026 through Wednesday, October 14, 2026 Local on the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · starts Wednesday 14 October · ZOB
Daylight
Sunset at CID 6:30 pm CDT (23:30 UTC), at MSO 6:53 pm MDT (00:53 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:23 pm MDT (01:23 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: The Eastern Iowa Airport, Missoula Montana Airport.