Joe Foss Field to Abilene Regional FSD → ABI
685 nautical miles (788 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 193°, about 188° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5E). At 120 knots that is 6 h 28 min at the quickest height in today's winds (12,500 ft, a 14-knot headwind), arriving about 2:16 am CDT (07:16 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: 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
No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.
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 FSD.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- BE20 at 14,000 ft, 39 nm north, 7:20 pm CDT (00:20 UTC): light turbulence. At the departure end, 39 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
FSD UA /OV FSD340035/TM 0020/FL140/TP BE20/TB CONS LGT/ NEG 120
- Report
- a routine report filed through FSD
- Where
- 35 nm north (340°) of FSD
- Time
- 00:20 UTC
- Height
- at 14,000 ft
- Aircraft
- BE20
- Turbulence
- continuous light no at 12,000 ft
- CRJ7 descending, 38 nm east, 4:52 pm CDT (21:52 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. 347 nm along the route, 38 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
ICT UA /OV 19R FINAL 100FT/TM 2152/FL100F/TP CRJ7/TB 7KTS LOSS
- Report
- a routine report filed through ICT
- Where
- 19R final 100FT
- Time
- 21:52 UTC
- Height
- at 100F
- Aircraft
- CRJ7
- Turbulence
- 7 knots loss
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 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 8 forecast points nearest it (FSD, ONL, GRI, SLN, ICT, GAG, SPS, ABI). 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 | 200° at 29 kt | +29 kt | 18 °C | 91 kt | 7 h 32 min | 3:20 am CDT (08:20 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 210° at 28 kt | +26 kt | 17 °C | 94 kt | 7 h 17 min | 3:05 am CDT (08:05 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 230° at 24 kt | +19 kt | 14 °C | 101 kt | 6 h 47 min | 2:35 am CDT (07:35 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 240° at 22 kt | +16 kt | 10 °C | 104 kt | 6 h 35 min | 2:23 am CDT (07:23 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 240° at 21 kt | +14 kt | 6 °C | 106 kt | 6 h 28 min | 2:16 am CDT (07:16 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 240° at 23 kt | +15 kt | 2 °C | 105 kt | 6 h 31 min | 2:19 am CDT (07:19 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 240° at 24 kt | +15 kt | -3 °C | 105 kt | 6 h 31 min | 2:19 am CDT (07:19 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 25 kt | +15 kt | -7 °C | 105 kt | 6 h 31 min | 2:19 am CDT (07:19 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 250° at 30 kt | +18 kt | -17 °C | 102 kt | 6 h 43 min | 2:31 am CDT (07:31 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 250° at 42 kt | +22 kt | -30 °C | 98 kt | 6 h 59 min | 2:47 am CDT (07:47 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 260° at 48 kt | +21 kt | -40 °C | 99 kt | 6 h 55 min | 2:43 am CDT (07:43 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 260° at 49 kt | +15 kt | -51 °C | 105 kt | 6 h 31 min | 2:19 am CDT (07:19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSD | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 200/16 | 220/20 17° | 240/26 13° | 230/19 6° | 240/25 -9° | 240/28 -20° | 250/39 -33° | 250/44 -43° | 260/63 -52° |
| ONL | used from 50 nm out; 70 nm from the line | 200/20 17° | 230/26 14° | 240/21 7° | 250/27 -9° | 260/32 -19° | 240/44 -34° | 240/56 -41° | 250/62 -51° | |
| GRI | used from 99 nm out; 56 nm from the line | 210/31 19° | 240/21 14° | 240/17 6° | 260/27 -7° | 260/34 -18° | 240/45 -32° | 250/56 -40° | 260/62 -51° | |
| SLN | used from 248 nm out; 27 nm from the line | 190/37 | 220/39 20° | 240/31 14° | 250/24 7° | 260/25 -7° | 250/26 -17° | 250/44 -31° | 260/47 -40° | 260/47 -50° |
| ICT | used from 347 nm out; 49 nm from the line | 190/34 | 210/34 18° | 240/28 13° | 260/23 7° | 250/23 -6° | 240/29 -17° | 260/40 -30° | 260/47 -40° | 270/42 -51° |
| GAG | used from 397 nm out; 60 nm from the line | 190/34 19° | 240/27 14° | 240/26 8° | 240/24 -6° | 240/29 -16° | 250/50 -28° | 250/50 -39° | 260/46 -50° | |
| SPS | used from 496 nm out; 72 nm from the line | 180/26 | 200/25 16° | 220/19 13° | 220/20 9° | 230/26 -5° | 230/34 -15° | 260/37 -28° | 270/42 -39° | 280/40 -51° |
| ABI | used from 645 nm out; 20 nm from the line | 180/26 17° | 220/18 12° | 230/25 8° | 230/28 -5° | 240/29 -14° | 250/35 -28° | 270/37 -39° | 280/37 -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
| Airport | Where | Conditions | Wind | Visibility | Ceiling | Elevation | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSD Sioux Falls, SD | departure | no report just now | 1,430 ft | ||||
| VMR Vermillion, SD | 50 nm out, 2 nm east of the line | no report just now | 1,146 ft | ||||
| OLU Columbus, NE | 129 nm out, 2 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 1,447 ft | ||||
| FMZ Fairmont, NE | 189 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 1,636 ft | ||||
| HJH Hebron, NE | 208 nm out, 7 nm east of the line | no report just now | 1,468 ft | ||||
| HUT Hutchinson, KS | 337 nm out, 21 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,542 ft | ||||
| PTT Pratt, KS | 367 nm out, 16 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,952 ft | ||||
| AVK Alva, OK | 417 nm out, 2 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,476 ft | ||||
| CSM Burns Flat, OK | 506 nm out, 10 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,922 ft | ||||
| FDR Frederick, OK | 566 nm out, 12 nm east of the line | no report just now | 1,258 ft | ||||
| ABI Abilene, TX | destination | no report just now | 1,790 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,952 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At ABI when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:16 am CDT (07:16 UTC)
ABI has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
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 FSD 6:50 pm CDT (23:50 UTC), at ABI 7:09 pm CDT (00:09 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:34 pm CDT (00:34 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at ABI is before sunrise there (7:40 am CDT (12:40 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: Joe Foss Field, Abilene Regional.