Plan a flight · Mon 7:30 am EDT (11:30 UTC)

Detroit Metro Wayne County to Helena Regional DTW → HLN

1,249 nautical miles (1,437 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 292°, about 299° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7W). At 120 knots that is 11 h 15 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 9-knot headwind), arriving about 4:45 pm MDT (22:45 UTC). Right now DTW is IFR, wind from the south-southwest (200°) at 8 knots; HLN is marginal VFR, wind from the west (270°) at 8 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: 1 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

SIGMET C17C: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 36,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 8:55 am EDT (12:55 UTC). Over the route from 749 to 809 nm out.
as issued
```
WSUS32 KKCI 121055
MKCC WST 121055
CONVECTIVE SIGMET 17C
VALID UNTIL 1255Z
SD ND
FROM 20NW BIS-60E BIS-20WNW PIR-20SW DPR-20NW BIS
AREA TS MOV FROM 22040KT. TOPS TO FL360.
```
AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the first 70 nm of the route.
AIRMET SIERRA 4E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the last 709 nm of the route.
AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 939 to 1039 nm out.
AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 18,000 ft. Over the last 200 nm of the route.
AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the last 150 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 DTW.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

B717 at 400 ft, 0 nm south, 7:23 am EDT (11:23 UTC): remarks: bases 400 ft during the descent. At the departure end, 0 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DTW UA /OV DTW/TM 1123/FL004/TP B717/RM BASES 004 DURD
```
Report
a routine report filed through DTW
Where
over DTW
Time
11:23 UTC
Height
at 400 ft
Aircraft
B717
Remarks
bases 400 ft during the descent
MD83 at 2,500 ft, 42 nm southwest, 6:43 am EDT (10:43 UTC): clear from 2,500 ft to 60,000 ft, remarks: base 1,000 ft tops 2,500 ft clear above. At the departure end, 42 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
TOL UA /OV TOL/TM 1043/FL025/TP MD83/RM BASE 010 TOPS 025 CLEAR ABOVE
```
Report
a routine report filed through TOL
Where
over TOL
Time
10:43 UTC
Height
at 2,500 ft
Aircraft
MD83
Remarks
base 1,000 ft tops 2,500 ft clear above
B739 at 9,000 ft, 26 nm northeast, 6:33 am EDT (10:33 UTC): no turbulence, no icing, clear from 9,000 ft to 60,000 ft, wind 295° at 13 knots, remarks: during the descent. At the departure end, 26 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DTW UA /OV DXO033026/TM 1033/FL090/TP B739/SK SKC/WV 29513KTS/TB NEG/IC NEG/RM DURD
```
Report
a routine report filed through DTW
Where
26 nm northeast (033°) of DXO
Time
10:33 UTC
Height
at 9,000 ft
Aircraft
B739
Sky
clear
Wind
from 295° at 13 knots
Turbulence
none
Icing
none
Remarks
during the descent
B350 at 2,000 ft, 27 nm northeast, 7:22 am EDT (11:22 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. At the departure end, 27 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
PTK UA /OV PTK090005/TM 1122/FL020/TP B350/WX FV10SM
```
Report
a routine report filed through PTK
Where
5 nm east (090°) of PTK
Time
11:22 UTC
Height
at 2,000 ft
Aircraft
B350
Weather
flight visibility 10 miles
CL35 at 6,000 ft, 21 nm northeast, 6:47 am EDT (10:47 UTC): overcast from 1,400 ft to 2,600 ft; clear from 2,600 ft to 60,000 ft, remarks: clear above 2,600 ft. At the departure end, 21 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
PTK UA /OV PTK270006/TM 1047/FL060/TP CL35/SK OVC014-TOP026/RM CLEAR ABOVE 026
```
Report
a routine report filed through PTK
Where
6 nm west (270°) of PTK
Time
10:47 UTC
Height
at 6,000 ft
Aircraft
CL35
Sky
overcast from 1,400 ft, tops 2,600 ft
Remarks
clear above 2,600 ft
B739 at 34,000 ft, 25 nm southwest, 6:58 am EDT (10:58 UTC): no turbulence. 220 nm along the route, 25 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
UES UA /OV BAE/TM 1058/FL340/TP B739/TB NEG
```
Report
a routine report filed through UES
Where
over BAE
Time
10:58 UTC
Height
at 34,000 ft
Aircraft
B739
Turbulence
none
C340 at 24,000 ft, 27 nm north, 6:59 am EDT (10:59 UTC): light to moderate icing, -22 °C. 919 nm along the route, 27 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DIK UA /OV DIK240054/TM 1059/FL240/TP C340/TA M22/IC LGT-MOD CLR /ZLC
```
Report
a routine report filed through DIK
Where
54 nm southwest (240°) of DIK
Time
10:59 UTC
Height
at 24,000 ft
Aircraft
C340
Temperature
−22 °C
Icing
light to moderate clear zlc

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 12 forecast points nearest it (FWA, MKG, GRB, LSE, MSP, AXN, ABR, PIR, DIK, MLS, BIL, GTF). 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	250° at 12 kt	+9 kt	5 °C	111 kt	11 h 15 min	4:45 pm MDT (22:45 UTC)
6,500 ft	250° at 13 kt	+11 kt	12 °C	109 kt	11 h 28 min	4:58 pm MDT (22:58 UTC)
8,500 ft	240° at 18 kt	+13 kt	10 °C	107 kt	11 h 40 min	5:10 pm MDT (23:10 UTC)
10,500 ft	240° at 21 kt	+16 kt	4 °C	104 kt	12 h 01 min	5:31 pm MDT (23:31 UTC)
12,500 ft	240° at 23 kt	+18 kt	2 °C	102 kt	12 h 15 min	5:45 pm MDT (23:45 UTC)
14,500 ft	250° at 24 kt	+20 kt	-3 °C	100 kt	12 h 29 min	5:59 pm MDT (23:59 UTC)
16,500 ft	250° at 26 kt	+21 kt	-7 °C	99 kt	12 h 37 min	6:07 pm MDT (00:07 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	250° at 27 kt	+23 kt	-11 °C	97 kt	12 h 53 min	6:23 pm MDT (00:23 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	240° at 34 kt	+27 kt	-22 °C	93 kt	13 h 26 min	6:56 pm MDT (00:56 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	240° at 39 kt	+32 kt	-35 °C	88 kt	14 h 12 min	7:42 pm MDT (01:42 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	250° at 47 kt	+41 kt	-41 °C	79 kt	15 h 49 min	9:19 pm MDT (03:19 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	260° at 58 kt	+56 kt	-47 °C	64 kt	19 h 31 min	1:01 am MDT (07:01 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
FWA	used from 0 nm out; 102 nm from the line	270/20	300/16 15°	290/14 10°	280/17 3°	290/25 -7°	280/30 -19°	280/34 -35°	290/48 -44°	300/64 -52°
MKG	used from 50 nm out; 65 nm from the line	260/28	260/18 15°	250/16 9°	260/22 4°	280/31 -9°	270/35 -21°	270/44 -35°	270/42 -45°	290/61 -51°
GRB	used from 200 nm out; 58 nm from the line	250/32	250/22 17°	240/18 8°	280/21 6°	280/34 -11°	280/35 -21°	280/39 -37°	270/52 -45°	290/60 -49°
LSE	used from 300 nm out; 41 nm from the line	250/25	240/21 17°	240/28 11°	250/28 5°	280/24 -10°	280/31 -21°	260/35 -37°	270/45 -43°	280/59 -47°
MSP	used from 400 nm out; 36 nm from the line	250/12	250/17 17°	240/26 12°	250/26 5°	280/26 -9°	280/32 -22°	270/37 -38°	280/47 -41°	280/55 -48°
AXN	used from 499 nm out; 61 nm from the line	110/6	260/10 16°	240/17 12°	250/20 5°	260/29 -10°	260/35 -22°	260/29 -38°	270/48 -41°	270/61 -48°
ABR	used from 599 nm out; 56 nm from the line	080/12	210/12 17°	220/22 12°	230/26 5°	220/28 -10°	230/41 -21°	250/36 -36°	260/47 -39°	260/63 -47°
PIR	used from 749 nm out; 86 nm from the line		230/15 15°	220/22 14°	220/24 6°	200/32 -10°	210/48 -22°	240/45 -33°	240/43 -37°	250/55 -46°
DIK	used from 799 nm out; 67 nm from the line		190/12 5°	230/29 7°	220/33 1°	220/43 -11°	210/47 -23°	220/53 -33°	240/56 -40°	250/72 -47°
MLS	used from 949 nm out; 24 nm from the line		290/17 -1°	250/18 0°	230/25 0°	220/31 -11°	220/32 -24°	220/50 -32°	220/60 -38°	230/71 -46°
BIL	used from 1049 nm out; 50 nm from the line		300/14	270/19 -2°	260/26 -2°	220/28 -13°	210/51 -25°	220/56 -33°	220/61 -39°	220/72 -45°
GTF	used from 1149 nm out; 74 nm from the line		L/V	L/V -7°	240/8 -8°	240/30 -14°	240/40 -28°	210/52 -38°	210/76 -38°	220/72 -43°

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
DTW Detroit, MI	departure	IFR Sky: a broken layer at 600 feet, a broken layer at 25,000 feet Weather: mist	from the south-southwest (200°) at 8 knots	6 mi	600 ft	645 ft	7:24 am EDT (11:24 UTC)
GRR Grand Rapids, MI	100 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line, tower	VFR Sky: a broken layer at 23,000 feet	from the south (170°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	23,000 ft	793 ft	10:53 UTC
MKG Muskegon, MI	140 nm out, 8 nm northeast of the line, tower	VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 25,000 feet	from the south (190°) at 8 knots	10+ mi	none	628 ft	10:55 UTC
CMY Sparta, WI	340 nm out, 9 nm south of the line, tower	VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 19,000 feet	calm	10+ mi	none	839 ft	10:55 UTC
FCM Minneapolis, MN	469 nm out, 9 nm northeast of the line, tower	VFR	from the west-southwest (240°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	906 ft	10:53 UTC
HCD Hutchinson, MN	509 nm out, 4 nm east of the line	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	1,062 ft	11:17 UTC
ABR Aberdeen, SD	679 nm out, 4 nm south of the line	low IFR Sky: overcast at 300 feet Weather: mist	from the northeast (050°) at 7 knots	5 mi	300 ft	1,301 ft	10:53 UTC
HEI Hettinger, ND	859 nm out, 2 nm west of the line	low IFR Sky: overcast at 300 feet Weather: mist	from the northeast (040°) at 7 knots	3 mi	300 ft	2,705 ft	11:06 UTC
BWW Bowman, ND	889 nm out, 4 nm north of the line	low IFR Sky: overcast at 200 feet Weather: fog	from the east-northeast (060°) at 9 knots	0.25 mi	200 ft	2,965 ft	11:15 UTC
RPX Roundup, MT	1109 nm out, 2 nm east of the line	no report just now				3,490 ft
HWQ Harlowton, MT	1159 nm out, 6 nm south of the line	no report just now				4,311 ft
HLN Helena, MT	destination	marginal VFR Sky: a broken layer at 2,300 feet, a broken layer at 2,900 feet, overcast at 4,400 feet	from the west (270°) at 8 knots	10+ mi	2,300 ft	3,877 ft	4:53 am MDT (10:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 4,311 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At HLN when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 4:45 pm MDT (22:45 UTC)

Wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 1,500 feet, a broken layer at 2,500 feet marginal VFR

The whole forecast for HLN

From Mon 6:00 am MDT (12:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 1,500 feet, a broken layer at 2,500 feet
From Mon 8:00 pm MDT (02:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility 5 miles, mist, scattered clouds at 200 feet, overcast at 600 feet

The forecast for DTW, the departure

From Mon 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 1:00 pm EDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 22, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 9,000 feet, a broken layer at 20,000 feet
From Tue 1:00 am EDT (05:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 6,000 feet, a broken layer at 11,000 feet
30% chance between Tue 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC) and 5:00 am EDT (09:00 UTC): visibility 6 miles, light rain showers, a broken layer at 5,000 feet
From Tue 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 3,500 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 DTW 6:56 pm EDT (22:56 UTC), at HLN 6:45 pm MDT (00:45 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:15 pm MDT (01:15 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 central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the northern Rockies · loop National Weather Service

Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service

Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center

Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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: Detroit Metro Wayne County, Helena Regional.