Denver International to Dane County Rgnl/Truax Field DEN → MSN
716 nautical miles (824 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 069°, about 061° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 3 h 55 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 63-knot tailwind), arriving about 7:58 am CDT (12:58 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: 2,186 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). Over the first 0 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 34,000 ft to 43,000 ft. Over the first 40 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 22,000 ft. Over the first 10 nm of the route.
- 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 last 567 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 08:00–15:00 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 7 forecast points nearest it (DEN, GLD, GRI, OMA, DSM, MCW, DBQ). 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 | 240° at 35 kt | −35 kt | 155 kt | 4 h 37 min | 8:40 am CDT (13:40 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 250° at 31 kt | −31 kt | 23 °C | 151 kt | 4 h 45 min | 8:48 am CDT (13:48 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 250° at 27 kt | −27 kt | 16 °C | 147 kt | 4 h 52 min | 8:55 am CDT (13:55 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 240° at 25 kt | −24 kt | 11 °C | 144 kt | 4 h 58 min | 9:01 am CDT (14:01 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 240° at 25 kt | −24 kt | 7 °C | 144 kt | 4 h 58 min | 9:01 am CDT (14:01 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 240° at 27 kt | −26 kt | 2 °C | 146 kt | 4 h 54 min | 8:57 am CDT (13:57 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 240° at 28 kt | −28 kt | -3 °C | 148 kt | 4 h 50 min | 8:53 am CDT (13:53 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 240° at 30 kt | −30 kt | -7 °C | 150 kt | 4 h 46 min | 8:49 am CDT (13:49 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 240° at 30 kt | −30 kt | -8 °C | 150 kt | 4 h 46 min | 8:49 am CDT (13:49 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 240° at 39 kt | −39 kt | -21 °C | 159 kt | 4 h 30 min | 8:33 am CDT (13:33 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 250° at 49 kt | −50 kt | -33 °C | 170 kt | 4 h 13 min | 8:16 am CDT (13:16 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 260° at 61 kt | −61 kt | -37 °C | 181 kt | 3 h 57 min | 8:00 am CDT (13:00 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 260° at 63 kt | −63 kt | -47 °C | 183 kt | 3 h 55 min | 7:58 am CDT (12:58 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 270/24 11° | 230/13 5° | 230/48 -8° | 230/46 -20° | 230/63 -30° | 240/78 -36° | 240/78 -48° | ||
| GLD | used from 99 nm out; 75 nm from the line | 260/37 | 260/25 14° | 250/27 8° | 230/36 -8° | 230/49 -21° | 250/71 -30° | 260/82 -36° | 250/73 -48° | |
| GRI | used from 199 nm out; 79 nm from the line | 230/39 23° | 230/32 15° | 210/29 7° | 230/31 -8° | 230/43 -21° | 250/52 -31° | 260/59 -35° | 260/59 -46° | |
| OMA | used from 348 nm out; 54 nm from the line | 230/47 | 240/33 21° | 230/22 13° | 220/27 5° | 240/35 -8° | 250/43 -21° | 260/47 -33° | 260/59 -36° | 270/58 -46° |
| DSM | used from 447 nm out; 64 nm from the line | 250/47 | 260/25 20° | 240/19 11° | 240/31 5° | 250/26 -9° | 260/38 -20° | 260/47 -34° | 270/58 -37° | 270/61 -47° |
| MCW | used from 497 nm out; 44 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° |
| DBQ | used from 597 nm out; 41 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° |
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 | 70 nm out, 6 nm south of the line | no report just now | 4,716 ft | ||||
| HEQ Holyoke, CO | 119 nm out, 2 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 3,729 ft | ||||
| LBF North Platte, NE | 199 nm out, 10 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 2,777 ft | ||||
| GTE Gothenburg, NE | 219 nm out, 9 nm south of the line | no report just now | 2,558 ft | ||||
| BVN Albion, NE | 318 nm out, 10 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,806 ft | ||||
| MEY Mapleton, IA | 428 nm out, 8 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 1,116 ft | ||||
| DNS Denison, IA | 438 nm out, 9 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 1,274 ft | ||||
| IFA Iowa Falls, IA | 537 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 1,137 ft | ||||
| ALO Waterloo, IA | 577 nm out, 7 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 873 ft | ||||
| MRJ Mineral Point, WI | 676 nm out, 8 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,170 ft | ||||
| MSN Madison, WI | destination | no report just now | 886 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 MSN when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 7:58 am CDT (12:58 UTC)
MSN has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8911 DENVER, CO, Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 8 nm from the route, at the departure end · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · today · ZDV
Daylight
Sunset at DEN 6:22 pm MDT (00:22 UTC), at MSN 6:19 pm CDT (23:19 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:48 pm CDT (23:48 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, Dane County Rgnl/Truax Field.