The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Sun 8:17 pm EDT (00:17 UTC)

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

1,289 nautical miles (1,483 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 279°, about 290° magnetic at the departure end (variation 11W). At 120 knots that is 11 h 50 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 11-knot headwind), arriving about 6:07 am MDT (12:07 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 E16E: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 32,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 25 knots, until 9:55 pm EDT (01:55 UTC). Near the route, at the departure end.
    as issued
    WSUS31 KKCI 112355
    MKCE WST 112355
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 16E
    VALID UNTIL 0155Z
    NY NJ PA DE MD VA DC WV AND NJ NY CSTL WTRS
    FROM SAX-30SE JFK-10N DCA-60ENE EKN-SAX
    AREA EMBD TS MOV FROM 22025KT. TOPS TO FL320.
  • SIGMET E17E: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 31,000 ft, moving from the west at 15 knots, until 9:55 pm EDT (01:55 UTC). Over the route from 90 to 250 nm out.
    as issued
    WSUS31 KKCI 112355
    MKCE WST 112355
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 17E
    VALID UNTIL 0155Z
    PA MD VA NC WV OH KY
    FROM 30WSW EWC-20E RIC-70NNE ILM-70W BKW-10ESE APE-30WSW EWC
    AREA TS MOV FROM 28015KT. TOPS TO FL310.
  • 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 first 340 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the route from 10 to 150 nm out.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 50 to 210 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the last 40 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the last 30 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 DCA.

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 20:00–03:00 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 12 forecast points nearest it (RIC, EKN, CRW, CMH, CVG, IND, SPI, COU, MKC, SLN, GLD, PUB). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft230° at 15 kt+11 kt13 °C109 kt11 h 50 min6:07 am MDT (12:07 UTC)
6,500 ft240° at 15 kt+14 kt14 °C106 kt12 h 10 min6:27 am MDT (12:27 UTC)
8,500 ft250° at 15 kt+15 kt11 °C105 kt12 h 17 min6:34 am MDT (12:34 UTC)
10,500 ft260° at 14 kt+15 kt8 °C105 kt12 h 17 min6:34 am MDT (12:34 UTC)
12,500 ft270° at 15 kt+15 kt4 °C105 kt12 h 17 min6:34 am MDT (12:34 UTC)
14,500 ft270° at 17 kt+17 kt0 °C103 kt12 h 31 min6:48 am MDT (12:48 UTC)
16,500 ft270° at 19 kt+19 kt-5 °C101 kt12 h 46 min7:03 am MDT (13:03 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180270° at 20 kt+21 kt-8 °C99 kt13 h 01 min7:18 am MDT (13:18 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240270° at 23 kt+23 kt-19 °C97 kt13 h 17 min7:34 am MDT (13:34 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300260° at 35 kt+35 kt-32 °C85 kt15 h 10 min9:27 am MDT (15:27 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340260° at 41 kt+41 kt-40 °C79 kt16 h 19 min10:36 am MDT (16:36 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390270° at 43 kt+43 kt-49 °C77 kt16 h 44 min11:01 am MDT (17:01 UTC)

Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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
RICused from 0 nm out; 85 nm from the line190/33200/29 14°210/31 12°210/38 6°230/42 -7°230/68 -16°220/84 -29°220/86 -40°220/81 -52°
EKNused from 50 nm out; 58 nm from the line270/18 13°310/5 7°140/7 3°210/16 -9°220/41 -20°210/57 -32°220/57 -38°230/49 -47°
CRWused from 200 nm out; 57 nm from the line320/16310/16 12°320/12 7°320/12 2°330/15 -11°280/11 -22°230/26 -30°240/33 -37°240/37 -47°
CMHused from 250 nm out; 36 nm from the line340/14320/13 12°350/12 8°360/10 2°350/27 -10°340/20 -22°320/31 -35°270/25 -39°260/32 -48°
CVGused from 300 nm out; 41 nm from the line350/13340/20 13°340/22 8°350/30 3°340/30 -9°340/38 -21°330/37 -35°320/38 -40°310/35 -47°
INDused from 400 nm out; 12 nm from the line320/10350/30 16°350/32 10°350/30 4°340/31 -10°340/42 -21°340/49 -37°320/46 -41°320/47 -47°
SPIused from 500 nm out; 66 nm from the line210/13260/11 17°270/18 10°290/21 4°310/20 -8°330/25 -19°320/49 -34°320/60 -44°320/59 -50°
COUused from 649 nm out; 60 nm from the line210/16220/19 15°240/33 10°250/29 7°280/21 -6°280/19 -18°300/34 -31°300/40 -42°300/60 -52°
MKCused from 749 nm out; 52 nm from the line200/28220/30 16°270/20 11°280/22 7°260/27 -6°270/27 -18°280/38 -32°270/38 -40°280/50 -52°
SLNused from 899 nm out; 54 nm from the line190/37220/39 20°240/31 14°250/24 7°260/25 -7°250/26 -17°250/44 -31°260/47 -40°260/47 -50°
GLDused from 1049 nm out; 73 nm from the line190/29200/30 15°240/23 8°250/39 -7°230/39 -19°230/57 -31°240/67 -39°250/62 -49°
PUBused from 1199 nm out; 68 nm from the line210/24 16°210/28 8°230/43 -8°240/42 -21°240/77 -30°240/72 -36°250/51 -47°

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
DCA Washington, DC departure no report just now 14 ft
IAD Washington, DC 20 nm out, 3 nm north of the line, tower no report just now 312 ft
PKB Parkersburg, WV 210 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line, tower no report just now 858 ft
ILN Wilmington, OH 320 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line, tower no report just now 1,076 ft
HUF Terre Haute, IN 480 nm out, 9 nm south of the line, tower no report just now 589 ft
DEC Decatur, IL 550 nm out, 12 nm north of the line, tower no report just now 681 ft
HAE Hannibal, MO 669 nm out, 5 nm north of the line no report just now 768 ft
STJ St Joseph, MO 829 nm out, 12 nm north of the line, tower no report just now 826 ft
MHK Manhattan, KS 919 nm out, 22 nm south of the line, tower no report just now 1,066 ft
RCP Stockton, KS 1039 nm out, 4 nm east of the line no report just now 1,999 ft
ITR Burlington, CO 1169 nm out, 11 nm northwest of the line no report just now 4,218 ft
COS Colorado Springs, CO destination no report just now 6,187 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 COS when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:07 am MDT (12:07 UTC)

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

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

  • 4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA on the route, at the departure end · security · ZDC
  • 6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 6 nm from the route, at the departure end · a VIP movement · today · ZDC
  • 6/8029 Cincinnati, OH, Friday, October 9, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 22 nm from the route, 360 nm along the route · a VIP movement · until 12 October · ZID
  • 6/8770 COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, Saturday, October 10, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 15 nm from the route, at the destination end · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · until 12 October · ZDV

Daylight

Sunset at DCA 6:34 pm EDT (22:34 UTC), at COS 6:25 pm MDT (00:25 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:51 pm MDT (00:51 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at COS is before sunrise there (7:04 am MDT (13:04 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 Northeast
Radar now, the Northeast · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the central Great Lakes
Radar now, the central Great Lakes · 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: Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport, City Of Colorado Springs Municipal.