Denver International to Blue Grass Airport DEN → LEX
941 nautical miles (1,083 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 090°, about 082° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 30 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 51-knot tailwind), arriving about 4:59 am EDT (08:59 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: 726 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 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the first 99 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 59 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 79 to 485 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 129 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 DEN.
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 8 forecast points nearest it (DEN, GLD, SLN, MKC, COU, STL, EVV, LOU). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,500 ft | 230° at 28 kt | −21 kt | 141 kt | 6 h 40 min | 6:09 am EDT (10:09 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 240° at 29 kt | −25 kt | 145 kt | 6 h 29 min | 5:58 am EDT (09:58 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 250° at 24 kt | −22 kt | 14 °C | 142 kt | 6 h 38 min | 6:07 am EDT (10:07 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 250° at 20 kt | −19 kt | 11 °C | 139 kt | 6 h 46 min | 6:15 am EDT (10:15 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 250° at 15 kt | −15 kt | 7 °C | 135 kt | 6 h 58 min | 6:27 am EDT (10:27 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 260° at 16 kt | −16 kt | 3 °C | 136 kt | 6 h 55 min | 6:24 am EDT (10:24 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 260° at 18 kt | −18 kt | -1 °C | 138 kt | 6 h 49 min | 6:18 am EDT (10:18 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 260° at 20 kt | −20 kt | -6 °C | 140 kt | 6 h 43 min | 6:12 am EDT (10:12 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 260° at 20 kt | −21 kt | -7 °C | 141 kt | 6 h 40 min | 6:09 am EDT (10:09 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 260° at 25 kt | −25 kt | -19 °C | 145 kt | 6 h 29 min | 5:58 am EDT (09:58 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 270° at 43 kt | −44 kt | -31 °C | 164 kt | 5 h 44 min | 5:13 am EDT (09:13 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 270° at 50 kt | −51 kt | -39 °C | 171 kt | 5 h 30 min | 4:59 am EDT (08:59 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 280° at 48 kt | −50 kt | -49 °C | 170 kt | 5 h 32 min | 5:01 am EDT (09:01 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; 25 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° | ||
| GLD | used from 50 nm out; 69 nm from the line | 230/49 | 230/42 15° | 220/26 8° | 240/18 -7° | 230/27 -21° | 240/62 -30° | 240/61 -35° | 250/57 -47° | |
| SLN | used from 248 nm out; 75 nm from the line | 210/53 | 230/41 20° | 240/26 14° | 230/16 8° | 240/25 -7° | 240/35 -19° | 250/61 -30° | 260/65 -38° | 260/56 -49° |
| MKC | used from 396 nm out; 50 nm from the line | 220/44 | 250/28 18° | 250/18 13° | 240/12 6° | 280/24 -6° | 240/34 -18° | 260/47 -30° | 260/51 -40° | 270/58 -50° |
| COU | used from 545 nm out; 23 nm from the line | 230/31 | 230/30 15° | 260/16 11° | 270/14 6° | 260/24 -6° | 270/27 -18° | 270/37 -32° | 280/49 -41° | 290/56 -51° |
| STL | used from 644 nm out; 11 nm from the line | 250/24 | 250/24 16° | 260/23 9° | 270/16 6° | 260/25 -6° | 270/29 -19° | 290/34 -33° | 290/48 -41° | 290/54 -51° |
| EVV | used from 743 nm out; 48 nm from the line | 280/15 | 290/12 17° | 310/16 10° | 320/13 5° | 310/22 -6° | 320/26 -18° | 320/38 -33° | 310/56 -41° | 320/55 -51° |
| LOU | used from 842 nm out; 23 nm from the line | 310/18 | 340/28 16° | 340/29 10° | 350/27 3° | 330/27 -7° | 340/39 -19° | 330/58 -33° | 330/67 -41° | 330/40 -49° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver, CO | departure | no report just now | 5,433 ft | ||||
| AKO Akron, CO | 69 nm out, 20 nm north of the line | no report just now | 4,716 ft | ||||
| ADT Atwood, KS | 168 nm out, 3 nm north of the line | no report just now | 2,990 ft | ||||
| PHG Phillipsburg, KS | 248 nm out, 1 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 1,910 ft | ||||
| CNK Concordia, KS | 327 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,488 ft | ||||
| MCI Kansas City, MO | 466 nm out, 7 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,027 ft | ||||
| GPH Mosby, MO | 476 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 777 ft | ||||
| SUS St Louis, MO | 654 nm out, 18 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 463 ft | ||||
| ALN Alton/St Louis, IL | 684 nm out, 3 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 543 ft | ||||
| AJG Mount Carmel, IL | 793 nm out, 4 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 429 ft | ||||
| LOU Louisville, KY | 892 nm out, 2 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 545 ft | ||||
| LEX Lexington, KY | destination | no report just now | 979 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 5,433 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At LEX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 4:59 am EDT (08:59 UTC)
LEX has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/7634 CENTRALIA, MO, Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 2 nm from the route, 585 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · today · ZKC
Daylight
Sunset at DEN 6:24 pm MDT (00:24 UTC), at LEX 7:05 pm EDT (23:05 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:31 pm EDT (23:31 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at LEX is before sunrise there (7:43 am EDT (11:43 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: Denver International, Blue Grass Airport.