City Of Colorado Springs Municipal to Missoula Montana Airport COS → MSO
638 nautical miles (734 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 323°, about 315° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 4 h 48 min at the quickest height in today's winds (30,000 ft, a 13-knot tailwind), arriving about 6:28 am MDT (12:28 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: 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 1W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground), from 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC). Over the first 309 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 38,000 ft, from 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC). Over the first 349 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft, from 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC). Over the first 359 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist), from 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC). Over the last 488 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft, from 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC). Over the route from 189 to 478 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: strong surface winds (30 knots or more) (due to sustained surface winds greater than 30 knots), from 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC). Over the route from 189 to 279 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist), from 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC). Over the last 269 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft, from 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC). Over the last 149 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft, from 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC). Over the last 140 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 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 4 forecast points nearest it (DEN, RKS, LND, DLN). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8,500 ft | 200° at 15 kt | −7 kt | 3 °C | 127 kt | 5 h 01 min | 6:41 am MDT (12:41 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 220° at 23 kt | −2 kt | 2 °C | 122 kt | 5 h 14 min | 6:54 am MDT (12:54 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 230° at 32 kt | +1 kt | -1 °C | 119 kt | 5 h 22 min | 7:02 am MDT (13:02 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 230° at 34 kt | −3 kt | -5 °C | 123 kt | 5 h 11 min | 6:51 am MDT (12:51 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 220° at 37 kt | −6 kt | -9 °C | 126 kt | 5 h 04 min | 6:44 am MDT (12:44 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 39 kt | −9 kt | -12 °C | 129 kt | 4 h 57 min | 6:37 am MDT (12:37 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 220° at 51 kt | −11 kt | -23 °C | 131 kt | 4 h 52 min | 6:32 am MDT (12:32 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 57 kt | −13 kt | -31 °C | 133 kt | 4 h 48 min | 6:28 am MDT (12:28 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 220° at 68 kt | −12 kt | -36 °C | 132 kt | 4 h 50 min | 6:30 am MDT (12:30 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 230° at 65 kt | −3 kt | -44 °C | 123 kt | 5 h 11 min | 6:51 am MDT (12:51 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | used from 0 nm out; 47 nm from the line | 240/21 14° | 250/44 6° | 220/49 -8° | 220/49 -21° | 230/54 -30° | 240/57 -35° | 240/49 -45° | ||
| RKS | used from 149 nm out; 96 nm from the line | 200/41 | 220/44 1° | 220/35 -11° | 220/46 -24° | 210/53 -27° | 220/62 -35° | 230/61 -44° | ||
| LND | used from 249 nm out; 29 nm from the line | 200/23 6° | 220/31 1° | 220/39 -11° | 230/39 -23° | 220/51 -28° | 220/66 -37° | 230/68 -45° | ||
| DLN | used from 399 nm out; 100 nm from the line | 090/6 -6° | 240/22 -4° | 210/34 -16° | 210/62 -25° | 210/66 -34° | 210/82 -36° | 220/77 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COS Colorado Springs, CO | departure | no report just now | 6,187 ft | ||||
| APA Denver, CO | 40 nm out, 22 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 5,884 ft | ||||
| GNB Granby, CO | 100 nm out, 5 nm east of the line | no report just now | 8,207 ft | ||||
| SBS Steamboat Springs, CO | 140 nm out, 16 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 6,882 ft | ||||
| RWL Rawlins, WY | 209 nm out, 21 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 6,816 ft | ||||
| LND Lander, WY | 299 nm out, 7 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 5,588 ft | ||||
| DUB Dubois, WY | 359 nm out, 5 nm north of the line | no report just now | 7,298 ft | ||||
| WYS West Yellowstone, MT | 458 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 6,649 ft | ||||
| RVF Twin Bridges, MT | 528 nm out, 3 nm south of the line | no report just now | 4,788 ft | ||||
| MSO Missoula, MT | destination | no report just now | 3,205 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 8,207 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, 6:28 am MDT (12:28 UTC)
MSO has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8784 LAKE GEORGE, CO, Sunday, October 11, 2026 through Tuesday, October 13, 2026 UTC 18 nm from the route, 30 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · until 13 October · ZDV
Daylight
Sunset at COS 6:23 pm MDT (00:23 UTC), at MSO 6:53 pm MDT (00:53 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:23 pm MDT (01:23 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at MSO is before sunrise there (7:49 am MDT (13:49 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: City Of Colorado Springs Municipal, Missoula Montana Airport.