Des Moines International to Waco Regional DSM → ACT
620 nautical miles (713 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 197°, about 196° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 29 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 7-knot headwind), arriving about 6:03 am CDT (11:03 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 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 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 first 400 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 DSM.
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 5 forecast points nearest it (DSM, MKC, TUL, OKC, DAL). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,500 ft | 220° at 31 kt | +28 kt | 92 kt | 6 h 44 min | 7:18 am CDT (12:18 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 240° at 25 kt | +19 kt | 16 °C | 101 kt | 6 h 08 min | 6:42 am CDT (11:42 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 240° at 18 kt | +12 kt | 14 °C | 108 kt | 5 h 44 min | 6:18 am CDT (11:18 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 250° at 15 kt | +10 kt | 10 °C | 110 kt | 5 h 38 min | 6:12 am CDT (11:12 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 250° at 15 kt | +9 kt | 6 °C | 111 kt | 5 h 35 min | 6:09 am CDT (11:09 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 250° at 17 kt | +10 kt | 2 °C | 110 kt | 5 h 38 min | 6:12 am CDT (11:12 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 250° at 19 kt | +11 kt | -3 °C | 109 kt | 5 h 41 min | 6:15 am CDT (11:15 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 21 kt | +12 kt | -6 °C | 108 kt | 5 h 44 min | 6:18 am CDT (11:18 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 250° at 27 kt | +16 kt | -17 °C | 104 kt | 5 h 58 min | 6:32 am CDT (11:32 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 260° at 42 kt | +15 kt | -30 °C | 105 kt | 5 h 54 min | 6:28 am CDT (11:28 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 270° at 45 kt | +15 kt | -40 °C | 105 kt | 5 h 54 min | 6:28 am CDT (11:28 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 280° at 47 kt | +7 kt | -50 °C | 113 kt | 5 h 29 min | 6:03 am CDT (11:03 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSM | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 230/40 | 250/33 17° | 250/18 12° | 240/17 5° | 260/28 -8° | 270/34 -19° | 260/41 -33° | 260/55 -41° | 270/62 -51° |
| MKC | used from 100 nm out; 26 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° |
| TUL | used from 250 nm out; 62 nm from the line | 210/37 | 240/29 17° | 260/15 14° | 260/11 7° | 240/22 -6° | 250/29 -16° | 270/45 -29° | 270/47 -40° | 280/44 -50° |
| OKC | used from 400 nm out; 79 nm from the line | 200/44 | 230/32 18° | 240/13 15° | 240/10 9° | 240/20 -5° | 250/27 -16° | 260/47 -28° | 270/48 -39° | 270/45 -50° |
| DAL | used from 450 nm out; 68 nm from the line | 190/29 | 220/23 17° | 220/17 13° | 250/18 8° | 230/18 -5° | 240/18 -15° | 270/34 -29° | 280/33 -39° | 300/36 -51° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSM Des Moines, IA | departure | no report just now | 957 ft | ||||
| LWD Lamoni, IA | 50 nm out, 7 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 1,130 ft | ||||
| STJ St Joseph, MO | 120 nm out, 24 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 826 ft | ||||
| OJC Olathe, KS | 170 nm out, 1 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,096 ft | ||||
| FSK Fort Scott, KS | 230 nm out, 16 nm east of the line | no report just now | 918 ft | ||||
| CFV Coffeyville, KS | 280 nm out, 9 nm west of the line | no report just now | 754 ft | ||||
| TUL Tulsa, OK | 340 nm out, 9 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 677 ft | ||||
| MLC Mc Alester, OK | 410 nm out, 18 nm east of the line | no report just now | 770 ft | ||||
| GYI Sherman/Denison, TX | 490 nm out, 6 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 749 ft | ||||
| RBD Dallas, TX | 550 nm out, 3 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 660 ft | ||||
| GKY Arlington, TX | 560 nm out, 10 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 628 ft | ||||
| ACT Waco, TX | destination | no report just now | 516 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,130 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At ACT when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:03 am CDT (11:03 UTC)
ACT has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 9/2934 DALLAS, TX on the route, 540 nm along the route · a VIP movement · ZFW
- 6/8646 Arlington, TX, Thursday, October 15, 2026 through Friday, October 16, 2026 UTC 10 nm from the route, 550 nm along the route · drones kept away from a public gathering · starts Thursday 15 October · ZFW
- 6/0543 MCGREGOR, TX 16 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · ZFW
Daylight
Sunset at DSM 6:38 pm CDT (23:38 UTC), at ACT 6:59 pm CDT (23:59 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:23 pm CDT (00:23 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at ACT is before sunrise there (7:29 am CDT (12:29 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: Des Moines International, Waco Regional.