The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 1:30 am CDT (06:30 UTC)

Des Moines International to Miami International DSM → MIA

1,154 nautical miles (1,328 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 141°, about 140° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1E). At 120 knots that is 7 h 45 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 29-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:15 am EDT (14:15 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: 344 flights in the DOT's last twelve reported months, the route's page.

The return flight

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 129 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Near the route, 527 nm along 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

  • B738 at 37,000 ft, 18 nm southwest, 11:27 pm CDT (04:27 UTC): light chop turbulence. 766 nm along the route, 18 nm southwest of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    TLH UA /OV TLH353039/TM 0427/FL370/TP B738/TB OCNL LGT CHOP
    Report
    a routine report filed through TLH
    Where
    39 nm north (353°) of TLH
    Time
    04:27 UTC
    Height
    at 37,000 ft
    Aircraft
    B738
    Turbulence
    occasional light chop
  • A321 at 35,000 ft, 40 nm northeast, 11:26 pm CDT (04:26 UTC): light chop turbulence. 985 nm along the route, 40 nm northeast of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    ORL UA /OV ORL/TM 0426/FL350/TP A321/TB OCNL LGT CHOP
    Report
    a routine report filed through ORL
    Where
    over ORL
    Time
    04:26 UTC
    Height
    at 35,000 ft
    Aircraft
    A321
    Turbulence
    occasional light chop

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 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 13 forecast points nearest it (DSM, BRL, COU, STL, CGI, BNA, HSV, BHM, CSG, TLH, PIE, MLB, MIA). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
3,500 ft280° at 14 kt−10 kt130 kt8 h 53 min11:23 am EDT (15:23 UTC)
5,500 ft300° at 13 kt−12 kt132 kt8 h 45 min11:15 am EDT (15:15 UTC)
7,500 ft300° at 15 kt−14 kt14 °C134 kt8 h 37 min11:07 am EDT (15:07 UTC)
9,500 ft310° at 16 kt−15 kt11 °C135 kt8 h 33 min11:03 am EDT (15:03 UTC)
11,500 ft310° at 14 kt−13 kt8 °C133 kt8 h 41 min11:11 am EDT (15:11 UTC)
13,500 ft300° at 15 kt−13 kt3 °C133 kt8 h 41 min11:11 am EDT (15:11 UTC)
15,500 ft290° at 17 kt−14 kt-1 °C134 kt8 h 37 min11:07 am EDT (15:07 UTC)
17,500 ft280° at 19 kt−14 kt-5 °C134 kt8 h 37 min11:07 am EDT (15:07 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180280° at 19 kt−14 kt-6 °C134 kt8 h 37 min11:07 am EDT (15:07 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240290° at 23 kt−18 kt-18 °C138 kt8 h 22 min10:52 am EDT (14:52 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300300° at 29 kt−26 kt-32 °C146 kt7 h 54 min10:24 am EDT (14:24 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340300° at 32 kt−29 kt-41 °C149 kt7 h 45 min10:15 am EDT (14:15 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390300° at 30 kt−27 kt-51 °C147 kt7 h 51 min10:21 am EDT (14:21 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
DSMused from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line230/40250/33 17°250/18 12°240/17 5°260/28 -8°270/34 -19°260/41 -33°260/55 -41°270/62 -51°
BRLused from 50 nm out; 70 nm from the line230/24240/29 15°290/16 10°280/15 4°260/23 -7°260/32 -19°260/36 -33°280/48 -41°280/59 -52°
COUused from 149 nm out; 51 nm from the line230/31230/30 15°260/16 11°270/14 6°260/24 -6°270/27 -18°270/37 -32°280/49 -41°290/56 -51°
STLused from 199 nm out; 16 nm from the line250/24250/24 16°260/23 9°270/16 6°260/25 -6°270/29 -19°290/34 -33°290/48 -41°290/54 -51°
CGIused from 249 nm out; 48 nm from the line240/20270/15 15°280/15 11°300/13 6°290/20 -6°280/24 -18°300/34 -32°300/47 -41°310/49 -51°
BNAused from 398 nm out; 73 nm from the line310/20340/20 17°330/24 10°340/22 5°330/26 -6°340/29 -18°330/52 -33°320/62 -41°340/45 -50°
HSVused from 448 nm out; 55 nm from the line310/20330/20 16°320/27 11°340/23 5°320/23 -7°340/30 -17°320/50 -33°330/61 -41°340/41 -50°
BHMused from 547 nm out; 27 nm from the line310/19330/20 17°320/28 11°340/21 6°310/22 -7°330/33 -17°330/50 -32°330/57 -41°330/41 -50°
CSGused from 647 nm out; 18 nm from the line310/24340/35 17°340/37 12°330/22 8°310/30 -7°290/30 -18°340/57 -32°340/55 -41°320/33 -49°
TLHused from 746 nm out; 47 nm from the line320/18350/31 18°340/24 13°310/17 8°280/22 -7°300/25 -17°320/28 -33°320/24 -41°320/25 -50°
PIEused from 896 nm out; 71 nm from the line350/6L/V 18°290/6 14°280/9 9°250/18 -6°250/23 -17°240/30 -31°220/31 -41°220/30 -52°
MLBused from 995 nm out; 57 nm from the line230/6230/12 17°240/13 12°240/14 7°240/20 -5°240/24 -16°210/21 -32°190/33 -41°200/36 -52°
MIAused from 1095 nm out; 35 nm from the line150/7140/5 17°160/5 14°L/V 9°230/8 -5°230/8 -17°150/11 -32°150/25 -41°180/29 -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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
DSM Des Moines, IA departure no report just now 957 ft
TVK Centerville, IA 60 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line no report just now 1,023 ft
SUS St Louis, MO 219 nm out, 3 nm east of the line, tower no report just now 463 ft
CGI Cape Girardeau, MO 318 nm out, 9 nm southwest of the line, tower no report just now 341 ft
PAH Paducah, KY 348 nm out, 16 nm northeast of the line, tower no report just now 410 ft
HSV Huntsville, AL 527 nm out, 10 nm northeast of the line, tower no report just now 628 ft
AUO Auburn, AL 667 nm out, 4 nm west of the line, tower no report just now 776 ft
ABY Albany, GA 756 nm out, 13 nm northeast of the line, tower no report just now 196 ft
CTY Cross City, FL 876 nm out, 5 nm south of the line no report just now 42 ft
BOW Bartow, FL 1005 nm out, 3 nm north of the line, tower no report just now 124 ft
FXE Fort Lauderdale, FL 1134 nm out, 18 nm northeast of the line, tower no report just now 13 ft
MIA Miami, FL destination no report just now 9 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 MIA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:15 am EDT (14:15 UTC)

MIA 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 22 nm from the route, 985 nm along the route · security · ZJX

Daylight

Sunset at DSM 6:38 pm CDT (23:38 UTC), at MIA 6:56 pm EDT (22:56 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:19 pm EDT (23:19 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

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the central Great Lakes
Radar now, the central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley
Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar, the whole country
Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service
Surface analysis now
Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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, Miami International.