Des Moines International to Fort Worth Meacham International DSM → FTW
552 nautical miles (635 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 200°, about 199° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1E). At 120 knots that is 4 h 43 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 3-knot headwind), arriving about 1:51 pm CDT (18:51 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 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 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 route from 39 to 296 nm out.
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 08:00–15:00 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 | 230° at 32 kt | +26 kt | 94 kt | 5 h 52 min | 3:00 pm CDT (20:00 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 240° at 22 kt | +18 kt | 17 °C | 102 kt | 5 h 25 min | 2:33 pm CDT (19:33 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 230° at 18 kt | +16 kt | 14 °C | 104 kt | 5 h 18 min | 2:26 pm CDT (19:26 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 230° at 17 kt | +14 kt | 10 °C | 106 kt | 5 h 12 min | 2:20 pm CDT (19:20 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 240° at 18 kt | +13 kt | 6 °C | 107 kt | 5 h 10 min | 2:18 pm CDT (19:18 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 240° at 20 kt | +14 kt | 1 °C | 106 kt | 5 h 12 min | 2:20 pm CDT (19:20 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 250° at 22 kt | +15 kt | -3 °C | 105 kt | 5 h 15 min | 2:23 pm CDT (19:23 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 23 kt | +15 kt | -7 °C | 105 kt | 5 h 15 min | 2:23 pm CDT (19:23 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 260° at 31 kt | +16 kt | -17 °C | 104 kt | 5 h 18 min | 2:26 pm CDT (19:26 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 270° at 54 kt | +20 kt | -30 °C | 100 kt | 5 h 31 min | 2:39 pm CDT (19:39 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 52 kt | +12 kt | -38 °C | 108 kt | 5 h 07 min | 2:15 pm CDT (19:15 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 290° at 50 kt | +3 kt | -49 °C | 117 kt | 4 h 43 min | 1:51 pm CDT (18:51 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSM | used from 0 nm out; 25 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° |
| MKC | used from 99 nm out; 29 nm from the line | 240/49 | 240/21 20° | 220/19 13° | 230/21 6° | 260/26 -7° | 250/37 -19° | 270/66 -31° | 270/65 -38° | 280/60 -48° |
| TUL | used from 247 nm out; 66 nm from the line | 230/42 | 250/23 17° | 220/16 14° | 240/10 8° | 240/20 -6° | 260/28 -17° | 270/61 -29° | 280/52 -38° | 290/46 -50° |
| OKC | used from 394 nm out; 59 nm from the line | 220/43 | 230/31 17° | 260/13 16° | 270/11 7° | 240/20 -6° | 250/32 -17° | 260/60 -28° | 280/50 -37° | 290/45 -50° |
| DAL | used from 444 nm out; 78 nm from the line | 190/30 | 200/28 18° | 220/18 13° | 250/13 8° | 240/24 -6° | 270/20 -14° | 270/35 -29° | 290/34 -39° | 310/41 -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 | ||||
| CSQ Creston, IA | 39 nm out, 19 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,299 ft | ||||
| LWD Lamoni, IA | 59 nm out, 9 nm east of the line | no report just now | 1,130 ft | ||||
| MCI Kansas City, MO | 138 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,027 ft | ||||
| IXD Olathe, KS | 168 nm out, 4 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,087 ft | ||||
| PPF Parsons, KS | 266 nm out, 2 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 900 ft | ||||
| BVO Bartlesville, OK | 306 nm out, 10 nm west of the line | no report just now | 716 ft | ||||
| RVS Tulsa, OK | 345 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 638 ft | ||||
| ADH Ada, OK | 424 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,015 ft | ||||
| ADM Ardmore, OK | 463 nm out, 11 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 776 ft | ||||
| DTO Denton, TX | 532 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 642 ft | ||||
| FTW Fort Worth, TX | destination | no report just now | 710 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,299 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At FTW when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:51 pm CDT (18:51 UTC)
FTW 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 24 nm from the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · ZFW
- 6/8646 Arlington, TX, Thursday, October 15, 2026 through Friday, October 16, 2026 UTC 13 nm from the route, at the destination end · drones kept away from a public gathering · starts Thursday 15 October · ZFW
Daylight
Sunset at DSM 6:38 pm CDT (23:38 UTC), at FTW 6:59 pm CDT (23:59 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:23 pm CDT (00:23 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, Fort Worth Meacham International.