Des Moines International to Huntsville Intl-Carl T Jones Field DSM → HSV
526 nautical miles (606 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 140°, about 139° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1E). At 120 knots that is 3 h at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 55-knot tailwind), arriving about 1:22 pm CDT (18:22 UTC). Right now DSM is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (210°) at 13 knots, gusting to 21; HSV is VFR, wind from the southeast (140°) at 4 knots. 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 first 139 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
No pilot reports within 50 nautical miles of the line in the last three hours.
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 14:00–21:00 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 6 forecast points nearest it (DSM, BRL, STL, CGI, BNA, HSV). 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 | 250° at 21 kt | −5 kt | 125 kt | 4 h 12 min | 2:34 pm CDT (19:34 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 250° at 19 kt | −5 kt | 125 kt | 4 h 12 min | 2:34 pm CDT (19:34 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 250° at 20 kt | −7 kt | 14 °C | 127 kt | 4 h 09 min | 2:31 pm CDT (19:31 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 260° at 22 kt | −10 kt | 11 °C | 130 kt | 4 h 03 min | 2:25 pm CDT (19:25 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 260° at 24 kt | −13 kt | 7 °C | 133 kt | 3 h 57 min | 2:19 pm CDT (19:19 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 270° at 25 kt | −14 kt | 3 °C | 134 kt | 3 h 56 min | 2:18 pm CDT (19:18 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 270° at 26 kt | −16 kt | -1 °C | 136 kt | 3 h 52 min | 2:14 pm CDT (19:14 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 270° at 26 kt | −17 kt | -6 °C | 137 kt | 3 h 50 min | 2:12 pm CDT (19:12 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 26 kt | −17 kt | -7 °C | 137 kt | 3 h 50 min | 2:12 pm CDT (19:12 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 35 kt | −25 kt | -19 °C | 145 kt | 3 h 38 min | 2:00 pm CDT (19:00 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 290° at 56 kt | −49 kt | -31 °C | 169 kt | 3 h 07 min | 1:29 pm CDT (18:29 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 290° at 62 kt | −55 kt | -38 °C | 175 kt | 3 h | 1:22 pm CDT (18:22 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 300° at 53 kt | −49 kt | -48 °C | 169 kt | 3 h 07 min | 1:29 pm CDT (18:29 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 12:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 18:00 UTC for use 14:00 to 21:00 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 | 230/34 | 230/32 20° | 220/33 12° | 240/35 5° | 250/39 -7° | 250/43 -21° | 280/61 -31° | 280/73 -37° | 280/67 -47° |
| BRL | used from 50 nm out; 69 nm from the line | 240/28 | 240/25 18° | 250/26 12° | 260/29 5° | 260/24 -8° | 270/36 -20° | 280/57 -33° | 290/65 -37° | 290/54 -46° |
| STL | used from 149 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 240/25 | 240/21 15° | 260/21 12° | 270/21 7° | 280/25 -7° | 280/39 -19° | 290/65 -31° | 290/70 -38° | 290/59 -48° |
| CGI | used from 298 nm out; 15 nm from the line | 250/22 | 250/17 15° | 250/25 11° | 260/27 7° | 270/35 -7° | 280/38 -17° | 300/63 -31° | 300/62 -38° | 300/55 -49° |
| BNA | used from 397 nm out; 66 nm from the line | 270/14 | 270/10 14° | 280/19 11° | 280/26 6° | 280/25 -6° | 280/31 -18° | 300/44 -32° | 300/53 -40° | 310/51 -49° |
| HSV | used from 447 nm out; 55 nm from the line | 290/11 | 300/10 15° | 300/17 12° | 290/20 6° | 290/18 -5° | 290/25 -17° | 310/38 -31° | 320/47 -40° | 330/43 -50° |
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 | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 feet, a few clouds at 20,000 feet, a broken layer at 25,000 feet | from the south-southwest (210°) at 13 knots, gusting to 21 | 10+ mi | 25,000 ft | 957 ft | 9:54 am CDT (14:54 UTC) |
| CNC Chariton, IA | 30 nm out, 10 nm southwest of the line | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 17 knots, gusting to 24 | 10+ mi | none | 1,050 ft | 15:15 UTC |
| TVK Centerville, IA | 60 nm out, 7 nm southwest of the line | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 11 knots, gusting to 17 | 9 mi | none | 1,023 ft | 15:15 UTC |
| HAE Hannibal, MO | 149 nm out, 9 nm northeast of the line | VFR | from the southwest (230°) at 9 knots, gusting to 17 | 10+ mi | none | 768 ft | 15:15 UTC |
| SUS St Louis, MO | 218 nm out, 4 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the southwest (220°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | none | 463 ft | 14:54 UTC |
| MDH Carbondale/Murphysboro, IL | 308 nm out, 17 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (210°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 411 ft | 14:52 UTC |
| PAH Paducah, KY | 348 nm out, 10 nm east of the line, tower | VFR | variable at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 410 ft | 14:53 UTC |
| PHT Paris, TN | 397 nm out, 2 nm southwest of the line | VFR | from the southwest (220°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 580 ft | 14:55 UTC |
| GHM Centerville, TN | 447 nm out, 16 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 765 ft | ||||
| GZS Pulaski, TN | 497 nm out, 8 nm northeast of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 688 ft | 14:55 UTC |
| HSV Huntsville, AL | destination | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 20,000 feet | from the southeast (140°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 628 ft | 9:53 am CDT (14:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,050 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At HSV when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:22 pm CDT (18:22 UTC)
Wind from the west at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for HSV
- From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility 6 miles, mist, clear skies
- From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the west at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for DSM, the departure
- From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, scattered clouds at 10,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 10,000 feet
- From Tue 12:00 am CDT (05:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 20,000 feet
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
No temporary flight restriction on or near this route right now.
Daylight
Sunset at DSM 6:38 pm CDT (23:38 UTC), at HSV 6:16 pm CDT (23:16 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:41 pm CDT (23:41 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, Huntsville Intl-Carl T Jones Field.