Topeka Regional to Columbia Regional FOE → COU
161 nautical miles (186 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 092°, about 087° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5E). At 120 knots that is 51 min at the quickest height in today's winds (30,000 ft, a 69-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:32 am CDT (15:32 UTC). Right now FOE is VFR, wind from the south (190°) at 11 knots, gusting to 23; COU is VFR, wind from the south (190°) at 7 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
- 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 whole 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 FOE.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- urgent B763 at 2,000 ft, 0 nm southeast, 6:57 am CDT (11:57 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. At the departure end, 0 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
FOE UUA /OV 130003/TM 1157/FL020/TP B763/WV LLWS
- Report
- an urgent report filed through FOE
- Where
- wind from 130° at 3 knots
- Time
- 11:57 UTC
- Height
- at 2,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B763
- Wind
- low-level wind shear
- PC12 at 22,000 ft, 48 nm west, 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): light rime icing, -9 °C, remarks: no icing at FL200 zkcfdc xj. At the departure end, 48 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
MHK UA /OV MHK/TM 1200/FL220/TP PC12/TA M09/IC LGT RIME/RM NEG ICING AT FL200 /ZKCFDC XJ
- Report
- a routine report filed through MHK
- Where
- over MHK
- Time
- 12:00 UTC
- Height
- at 22,000 ft
- Aircraft
- PC12
- Temperature
- −9 °C
- Icing
- light rime
- Remarks
- no icing at FL200 zkcfdc xj
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 2 forecast points nearest it (MKC, COU). 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 | 230° at 31 kt | −22 kt | 142 kt | 1 h 08 min | 10:49 am CDT (15:49 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 240° at 27 kt | −22 kt | 142 kt | 1 h 08 min | 10:49 am CDT (15:49 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 240° at 25 kt | −21 kt | 16 °C | 141 kt | 1 h 09 min | 10:50 am CDT (15:50 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 240° at 24 kt | −21 kt | 12 °C | 141 kt | 1 h 09 min | 10:50 am CDT (15:50 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 250° at 26 kt | −24 kt | 7 °C | 144 kt | 1 h 07 min | 10:48 am CDT (15:48 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 250° at 27 kt | −25 kt | 3 °C | 145 kt | 1 h 07 min | 10:48 am CDT (15:48 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 260° at 27 kt | −26 kt | -2 °C | 146 kt | 1 h 06 min | 10:47 am CDT (15:47 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 260° at 27 kt | −27 kt | -6 °C | 147 kt | 1 h 06 min | 10:47 am CDT (15:47 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 260° at 28 kt | −27 kt | -7 °C | 147 kt | 1 h 06 min | 10:47 am CDT (15:47 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 250° at 41 kt | −39 kt | -20 °C | 159 kt | 1 h 01 min | 10:42 am CDT (15:42 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 280° at 69 kt | −69 kt | -29 °C | 189 kt | 51 min | 10:32 am CDT (15:32 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 71 kt | −70 kt | -36 °C | 190 kt | 51 min | 10:32 am CDT (15:32 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 280° at 58 kt | −57 kt | -49 °C | 177 kt | 55 min | 10:36 am CDT (15:36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MKC | used from 0 nm out; 29 nm from the line | 220/35 | 240/30 21° | 240/27 13° | 240/31 6° | 260/31 -7° | 250/43 -21° | 270/70 -28° | 280/72 -36° | 280/59 -49° |
| COU | used from 95 nm out; 43 nm from the line | 240/28 | 240/22 17° | 250/18 12° | 260/22 6° | 270/23 -7° | 260/39 -19° | 290/70 -30° | 290/71 -37° | 290/58 -48° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOE Topeka, KS | departure | VFR | from the south (190°) at 11 knots, gusting to 23 | 10+ mi | none | 1,077 ft | 8:53 am CDT (13:53 UTC) |
| IXD Olathe, KS | 38 nm out, 6 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (180°) at 10 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,087 ft | 13:53 UTC |
| OJC Olathe, KS | 47 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 9 knots, gusting to 20 | 10+ mi | none | 1,096 ft | 13:53 UTC |
| RCM Warrensburg, MO | 85 nm out, 7 nm south of the line | VFR | from the south (190°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | none | 797 ft | 14:35 UTC |
| VER Boonville, MO | 142 nm out, 7 nm northwest of the line | VFR Sky: overcast at 11,000 feet | from the south (190°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | 11,000 ft | 715 ft | 14:35 UTC |
| COU Columbia, MO | destination | VFR | from the south (190°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 889 ft | 8:54 am CDT (13:54 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,096 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At COU when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:32 am CDT (15:32 UTC)
Wind from the southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 22, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for COU
- From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 22, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for FOE, the departure
- From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south at 13 knots, gusting to 18, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 17 knots, gusting to 28, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 20,000 feet
- From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 15,000 feet
- From Tue 3:00 am CDT (08:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 3,000 feet
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/7634 CENTRALIA, MO, Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 19 nm from the route, at the destination end · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · today · ZKC
Daylight
Sunset at FOE 6:48 pm CDT (23:48 UTC), at COU 6:35 pm CDT (23:35 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:01 pm CDT (00:01 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: Topeka Regional, Columbia Regional.