The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Sun 9:32 pm MDT (03:32 UTC)

City Of Colorado Springs Municipal to Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport COS → DCA

1,289 nautical miles (1,483 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 081°, about 073° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 7 h 40 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 48-knot tailwind), arriving about 7:12 am EDT (11:12 UTC), after sunset at the destination. 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 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

  • SIGMET W11W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 34,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 10:55 pm MDT (04:55 UTC). Near the route, at the departure end.
    as issued
    WSUS33 KKCI 120255
    MKCW WST 120255
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 11W
    VALID UNTIL 0455Z
    CO NM
    FROM 20WNW PUB-10ENE CIM-50WNW ABQ-30NNE DVC-20WNW PUB
    AREA TS MOV FROM 22040KT. TOPS TO FL340.
  • SIGMET E11E: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 34,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 10:55 pm MDT (04:55 UTC). Over the last 110 nm of the route.
    as issued
    WSUS31 KKCI 120255
    MKCE WST 120255
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 11E
    VALID UNTIL 0455Z
    NY NJ PA DE MD VA DC WV AND DE NJ NY MD CT VA CSTL WTRS
    FROM 20NE JFK-90SE SIE-20NNW ORF-30ENE EKN-10S JST-20NE JFK
    AREA EMBD TS MOV FROM 24020KT. TOPS TO FL340.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the first 80 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 70 nm of 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 80 to 500 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). Over the last 460 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 1079 to 1239 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the last 160 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 COS.

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 12 forecast points nearest it (PUB, GLD, SLN, MKC, COU, SPI, IND, CVG, CMH, CRW, EKN, RIC). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
3,500 ft240° at 23 kt−20 kt140 kt9 h 12 min8:44 am EDT (12:44 UTC)
5,500 ft250° at 22 kt−23 kt12 °C143 kt9 h 01 min8:33 am EDT (12:33 UTC)
7,500 ft260° at 20 kt−22 kt13 °C142 kt9 h 05 min8:37 am EDT (12:37 UTC)
9,500 ft270° at 18 kt−19 kt10 °C139 kt9 h 16 min8:48 am EDT (12:48 UTC)
11,500 ft270° at 13 kt−14 kt6 °C134 kt9 h 37 min9:09 am EDT (13:09 UTC)
13,500 ft280° at 13 kt−15 kt2 °C135 kt9 h 33 min9:05 am EDT (13:05 UTC)
15,500 ft280° at 16 kt−17 kt-2 °C137 kt9 h 25 min8:57 am EDT (12:57 UTC)
17,500 ft280° at 19 kt−20 kt-6 °C140 kt9 h 12 min8:44 am EDT (12:44 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180280° at 20 kt−20 kt-7 °C140 kt9 h 12 min8:44 am EDT (12:44 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240270° at 25 kt−26 kt-20 °C146 kt8 h 50 min8:22 am EDT (12:22 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300270° at 38 kt−39 kt-32 °C159 kt8 h 06 min7:38 am EDT (11:38 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340280° at 47 kt−48 kt-39 °C168 kt7 h 40 min7:12 am EDT (11:12 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390280° at 46 kt−46 kt-49 °C166 kt7 h 46 min7:18 am EDT (11:18 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
PUBused from 0 nm out; 38 nm from the line230/25 13°230/32 6°220/44 -8°230/49 -21°240/70 -28°240/67 -34°240/58 -46°
GLDused from 50 nm out; 70 nm from the line230/49230/42 15°220/26 8°240/18 -7°230/27 -21°240/62 -30°240/61 -35°250/57 -47°
SLNused from 250 nm out; 66 nm from the line210/53230/41 20°240/26 14°230/16 8°240/25 -7°240/35 -19°250/61 -30°260/65 -38°260/56 -49°
MKCused from 400 nm out; 54 nm from the line220/44250/28 18°250/18 13°240/12 6°280/24 -6°240/34 -18°260/47 -30°260/51 -40°270/58 -50°
COUused from 550 nm out; 50 nm from the line230/31230/30 15°260/16 11°270/14 6°260/24 -6°270/27 -18°270/37 -32°280/49 -41°290/56 -51°
SPIused from 649 nm out; 28 nm from the line220/21250/23 16°260/27 9°270/14 6°270/23 -7°270/31 -19°270/28 -33°290/48 -42°300/55 -52°
INDused from 799 nm out; 33 nm from the line290/16310/20 16°320/21 10°330/13 3°300/25 -7°320/32 -19°330/46 -34°320/61 -43°320/63 -50°
CVGused from 899 nm out; 29 nm from the line320/18350/32 16°350/35 10°350/30 3°330/30 -7°340/44 -20°340/58 -35°330/72 -41°320/36 -49°
CMHused from 999 nm out; 38 nm from the line330/15340/22 14°340/24 9°340/23 4°340/35 -9°340/49 -20°340/58 -37°330/70 -42°340/55 -47°
CRWused from 1049 nm out; 55 nm from the line330/20330/23 11°340/25 8°340/21 2°340/33 -9°340/41 -20°330/42 -35°320/44 -39°320/43 -47°
EKNused from 1099 nm out; 37 nm from the line330/21 12°330/25 7°350/22 2°330/24 -10°310/27 -21°320/33 -35°290/31 -39°290/34 -47°
RICused from 1249 nm out; 84 nm from the line270/23280/19 11°270/18 8°240/22 4°230/39 -7°220/55 -18°220/75 -30°230/83 -39°230/64 -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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
COS Colorado Springs, CO departure no report just now 6,187 ft
ITR Burlington, CO 120 nm out, 11 nm northwest of the line no report just now 4,218 ft
RCP Stockton, KS 250 nm out, 4 nm east of the line no report just now 1,999 ft
MHK Manhattan, KS 370 nm out, 22 nm south of the line, tower no report just now 1,066 ft
STJ St Joseph, MO 460 nm out, 12 nm north of the line, tower no report just now 826 ft
HAE Hannibal, MO 619 nm out, 5 nm north of the line no report just now 768 ft
DEC Decatur, IL 739 nm out, 12 nm north of the line, tower no report just now 681 ft
HUF Terre Haute, IN 809 nm out, 9 nm south of the line, tower no report just now 589 ft
ILN Wilmington, OH 969 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line, tower no report just now 1,076 ft
PKB Parkersburg, WV 1079 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line, tower no report just now 858 ft
IAD Washington, DC 1269 nm out, 3 nm north of the line, tower no report just now 312 ft
DCA Washington, DC destination no report just now 14 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 6,187 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At DCA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 7:12 am EDT (11:12 UTC)

DCA has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.

Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it

  • 6/8770 COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, Saturday, October 10, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 15 nm from the route, at the departure end · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · until 12 October · ZDV
  • 6/8029 Cincinnati, OH, Friday, October 9, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 22 nm from the route, 929 nm along the route · a VIP movement · until 12 October · ZID
  • 6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 6 nm from the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · today · ZDC
  • 4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA on the route, at the destination end · security · ZDC

Daylight

Sunset at COS 6:25 pm MDT (00:25 UTC), at DCA 6:34 pm EDT (22:34 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:01 pm EDT (23:01 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at DCA is before sunrise there (7:14 am EDT (11:14 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 southern Rockies
Radar now, the southern Rockies · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the southern Plains
Radar now, the southern Plains · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · 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: City Of Colorado Springs Municipal, Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport.