Joe Foss Field to City Of Colorado Springs Municipal FSD → COS
460 nautical miles (529 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 234°, about 229° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5E). At 120 knots that is 4 h 36 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 20-knot headwind), arriving about 12:46 am MDT (06:46 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: 6 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 6W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 34,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 10:55 pm CDT (03:55 UTC). Near the route, at the destination end.
as issued
WSUS33 KKCI 120155 MKCW WST 120155 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 6W VALID UNTIL 0355Z CO NM FROM 50SSW DEN-30NNE TBE-50SSW CME-50E SJN-20NE DVC-50SSW DEN AREA TS MOV FROM 23040KT. TOPS TO FL340.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the last 80 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the last 80 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 FSD.
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 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 6 forecast points nearest it (FSD, ONL, GRI, GLD, DEN, PUB). 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 24 kt | +20 kt | 18 °C | 100 kt | 4 h 36 min | 12:46 am MDT (06:46 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 200° at 24 kt | +21 kt | 16 °C | 99 kt | 4 h 39 min | 12:49 am MDT (06:49 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 210° at 26 kt | +24 kt | 15 °C | 96 kt | 4 h 48 min | 12:58 am MDT (06:58 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 220° at 24 kt | +24 kt | 11 °C | 96 kt | 4 h 48 min | 12:58 am MDT (06:58 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 230° at 23 kt | +23 kt | 6 °C | 97 kt | 4 h 45 min | 12:55 am MDT (06:55 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 240° at 26 kt | +26 kt | 1 °C | 94 kt | 4 h 54 min | 1:04 am MDT (07:04 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 240° at 30 kt | +29 kt | -4 °C | 91 kt | 5 h 03 min | 1:13 am MDT (07:13 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 33 kt | +31 kt | -8 °C | 89 kt | 5 h 10 min | 1:20 am MDT (07:20 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 240° at 36 kt | +35 kt | -19 °C | 85 kt | 5 h 25 min | 1:35 am MDT (07:35 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 240° at 49 kt | +49 kt | -32 °C | 71 kt | 6 h 29 min | 2:39 am MDT (08:39 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 240° at 59 kt | +58 kt | -40 °C | 62 kt | 7 h 25 min | 3:35 am MDT (09:35 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 250° at 61 kt | +58 kt | -50 °C | 62 kt | 7 h 25 min | 3:35 am MDT (09:35 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; 34 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 200 nm out; 114 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° | |
| GLD | used from 250 nm out; 85 nm from the line | 190/29 | 200/30 15° | 240/23 8° | 250/39 -7° | 230/39 -19° | 230/57 -31° | 240/67 -39° | 250/62 -49° | |
| DEN | used from 350 nm out; 63 nm from the line | 190/31 16° | 210/32 7° | 240/41 -8° | 230/47 -21° | 240/56 -32° | 250/65 -37° | 250/61 -47° | ||
| PUB | used from 450 nm out; 35 nm from the line | 210/24 16° | 210/28 8° | 230/43 -8° | 240/42 -21° | 240/77 -30° | 240/72 -36° | 250/51 -47° |
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 | ||||
| YKN Yankton, SD | 50 nm out, 16 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 1,305 ft | ||||
| ONL O'Neill, NE | 110 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 2,033 ft | ||||
| BUB Burwell, NE | 150 nm out, 23 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 2,183 ft | ||||
| TIF Thedford, NE | 190 nm out, 25 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 2,925 ft | ||||
| LBF North Platte, NE | 230 nm out, 12 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 2,777 ft | ||||
| GGF Grant, NE | 280 nm out, 8 nm north of the line | no report just now | 3,424 ft | ||||
| AKO Akron, CO | 350 nm out, 18 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 4,716 ft | ||||
| LIC Limon, CO | 410 nm out, 11 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 5,374 ft | ||||
| COS Colorado Springs, CO | destination | no report just now | 6,187 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 6,187 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At COS when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:46 am MDT (06:46 UTC)
COS has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8770 COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, Saturday, October 10, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 15 nm from the route, at the destination end · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · until 12 October · ZDV
Daylight
Sunset at FSD 6:49 pm CDT (23:49 UTC), at COS 6:25 pm MDT (00:25 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:51 pm MDT (00:51 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at COS is before sunrise there (7:04 am MDT (13:04 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, City Of Colorado Springs Municipal.