Des Moines International to Orlando International DSM → MCO
992 nautical miles (1,142 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 139°, about 138° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1E). At 120 knots that is 6 h 37 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 30-knot tailwind), arriving about 4:48 am EDT (08:48 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: 41 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 40 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 6W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 28,000 ft to 40,000 ft. Over the route from 635 to 665 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 20:00–03:00 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 11 forecast points nearest it (DSM, BRL, STL, CGI, BNA, HSV, ATL, CSG, TLH, JAX, MLB). 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 | 270° at 12 kt | −8 kt | 128 kt | 7 h 45 min | 5:56 am EDT (09:56 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 300° at 18 kt | −18 kt | 138 kt | 7 h 11 min | 5:22 am EDT (09:22 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 300° at 22 kt | −21 kt | 14 °C | 141 kt | 7 h 02 min | 5:13 am EDT (09:13 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 300° at 24 kt | −22 kt | 10 °C | 142 kt | 6 h 59 min | 5:10 am EDT (09:10 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 300° at 26 kt | −24 kt | 7 °C | 144 kt | 6 h 53 min | 5:04 am EDT (09:04 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 300° at 25 kt | −23 kt | 3 °C | 143 kt | 6 h 56 min | 5:07 am EDT (09:07 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 300° at 25 kt | −22 kt | -2 °C | 142 kt | 6 h 59 min | 5:10 am EDT (09:10 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 290° at 24 kt | −21 kt | -6 °C | 141 kt | 7 h 02 min | 5:13 am EDT (09:13 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 290° at 24 kt | −21 kt | -7 °C | 141 kt | 7 h 02 min | 5:13 am EDT (09:13 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 290° at 23 kt | −19 kt | -18 °C | 139 kt | 7 h 08 min | 5:19 am EDT (09:19 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 290° at 31 kt | −27 kt | -33 °C | 147 kt | 6 h 45 min | 4:56 am EDT (08:56 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 300° at 34 kt | −30 kt | -42 °C | 150 kt | 6 h 37 min | 4:48 am EDT (08:48 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 290° at 34 kt | −28 kt | -51 °C | 148 kt | 6 h 42 min | 4:53 am EDT (08:53 UTC) |
Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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 | 200/32 | 240/27 17° | 260/19 10° | 260/16 5° | 260/19 -7° | 240/22 -19° | 270/20 -32° | 270/38 -42° | 290/58 -53° |
| BRL | used from 50 nm out; 67 nm from the line | 200/20 | 250/21 16° | 240/22 10° | 260/20 5° | 270/16 -7° | 290/22 -18° | 320/41 -34° | 320/56 -43° | 310/68 -53° |
| STL | used from 149 nm out; 52 nm from the line | 210/13 | 260/16 17° | 270/21 10° | 280/24 5° | 310/20 -7° | 320/22 -18° | 320/44 -33° | 320/59 -43° | 310/69 -51° |
| CGI | used from 298 nm out; 21 nm from the line | 250/10 | 290/12 17° | 290/18 11° | 300/22 5° | 320/25 -8° | 330/30 -18° | 320/53 -33° | 320/66 -42° | 320/56 -50° |
| BNA | used from 397 nm out; 60 nm from the line | 280/13 | 340/34 16° | 330/38 10° | 330/44 5° | 330/39 -8° | 330/38 -19° | 320/49 -34° | 330/53 -40° | 330/35 -47° |
| HSV | used from 496 nm out; 11 nm from the line | 290/15 | 330/34 16° | 330/38 11° | 330/40 5° | 320/36 -7° | 320/31 -18° | 320/44 -34° | 330/53 -41° | 330/34 -48° |
| ATL | used from 595 nm out; 54 nm from the line | 300/23 | 320/26 14° | 320/34 10° | 320/41 5° | 290/32 -6° | 290/31 -18° | 280/28 -33° | 260/32 -41° | 250/28 -50° |
| CSG | used from 645 nm out; 18 nm from the line | 300/20 | 330/41 15° | 320/42 11° | 320/41 7° | 300/33 -6° | 290/33 -18° | 270/32 -34° | 260/31 -41° | 260/24 -51° |
| TLH | used from 744 nm out; 72 nm from the line | 300/17 | 340/32 17° | 320/27 13° | 300/27 8° | 280/23 -7° | 250/37 -17° | 230/44 -33° | 220/53 -41° | 220/48 -51° |
| JAX | used from 843 nm out; 55 nm from the line | 280/14 | 300/22 16° | 260/27 15° | 260/26 9° | 240/41 -6° | 230/38 -16° | 220/44 -32° | 200/49 -41° | 200/52 -53° |
| MLB | used from 942 nm out; 63 nm from the line | 240/7 | 240/11 17° | 240/13 13° | 250/15 8° | 230/25 -5° | 210/25 -16° | 210/24 -31° | 190/29 -41° | 190/27 -53° |
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 | ||||
| TVK Centerville, IA | 60 nm out, 8 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,023 ft | ||||
| HAE Hannibal, MO | 149 nm out, 6 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 768 ft | ||||
| SUS St Louis, MO | 218 nm out, 7 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 463 ft | ||||
| PAH Paducah, KY | 347 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 410 ft | ||||
| GHM Centerville, TN | 446 nm out, 8 nm east of the line | no report just now | 765 ft | ||||
| HSV Huntsville, AL | 526 nm out, 10 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 628 ft | ||||
| CSG Columbus, GA | 684 nm out, 12 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 397 ft | ||||
| ABY Albany, GA | 754 nm out, 16 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 196 ft | ||||
| VLD Valdosta, GA | 813 nm out, 6 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 203 ft | ||||
| GNV Gainesville, FL | 903 nm out, 2 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 151 ft | ||||
| MCO Orlando, FL | destination | no report just now | 96 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,023 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MCO when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 4:48 am EDT (08:48 UTC)
MCO has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 4/3634 DISNEY WORLD THEME PARK, ORLANDO, FL 9 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · ZJX
Daylight
Sunset at DSM 6:38 pm CDT (23:38 UTC), at MCO 6:59 pm EDT (22:59 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:22 pm EDT (23:22 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at MCO is before sunrise there (7:24 am EDT (11:24 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, Orlando International.