Joe Foss Field to Blue Grass Airport FSD → LEX
643 nautical miles (740 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 117°, about 112° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5E). At 120 knots that is 3 h 43 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 53-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:00 am EDT (04:00 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: 2 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 SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the last 20 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 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 7 forecast points nearest it (FSD, MCW, DSM, BRL, SPI, IND, LOU). 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 | 220° at 13 kt | −4 kt | 124 kt | 5 h 11 min | 1:28 am EDT (05:28 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 270° at 13 kt | −12 kt | 132 kt | 4 h 52 min | 1:09 am EDT (05:09 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 280° at 16 kt | −15 kt | 14 °C | 135 kt | 4 h 46 min | 1:03 am EDT (05:03 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 290° at 17 kt | −17 kt | 9 °C | 137 kt | 4 h 42 min | 12:59 am EDT (04:59 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 300° at 16 kt | −17 kt | 6 °C | 137 kt | 4 h 42 min | 12:59 am EDT (04:59 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 300° at 17 kt | −17 kt | 1 °C | 137 kt | 4 h 42 min | 12:59 am EDT (04:59 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 300° at 17 kt | −18 kt | -3 °C | 138 kt | 4 h 40 min | 12:57 am EDT (04:57 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 300° at 18 kt | −19 kt | -7 °C | 139 kt | 4 h 38 min | 12:55 am EDT (04:55 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 300° at 19 kt | −19 kt | -8 °C | 139 kt | 4 h 38 min | 12:55 am EDT (04:55 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 300° at 22 kt | −23 kt | -19 °C | 143 kt | 4 h 30 min | 12:47 am EDT (04:47 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 310° at 33 kt | −34 kt | -34 °C | 154 kt | 4 h 11 min | 12:28 am EDT (04:28 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 300° at 43 kt | −44 kt | -42 °C | 164 kt | 3 h 55 min | 12:12 am EDT (04:12 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 300° at 52 kt | −53 kt | -51 °C | 173 kt | 3 h 43 min | 12:00 am EDT (04:00 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° |
| MCW | used from 99 nm out; 52 nm from the line | 200/35 | 240/33 18° | 250/20 10° | 260/10 6° | 270/18 -8° | 260/28 -19° | 280/30 -34° | 290/49 -43° | 280/70 -54° |
| DSM | used from 148 nm out; 45 nm from the line | 200/32 | 240/27 17° | 260/19 10° | 260/16 5° | 260/19 -7° | 240/22 -19° | 270/20 -32° | 270/38 -42° | 290/58 -53° |
| BRL | used from 247 nm out; 38 nm from the line | 200/20 | 250/21 16° | 240/22 10° | 260/20 5° | 270/16 -7° | 290/22 -18° | 320/41 -34° | 320/56 -43° | 310/68 -53° |
| SPI | used from 346 nm out; 42 nm from the line | 210/13 | 260/11 17° | 270/18 10° | 290/21 4° | 310/20 -8° | 330/25 -19° | 320/49 -34° | 320/60 -44° | 320/59 -50° |
| IND | used from 445 nm out; 64 nm from the line | 320/10 | 350/30 16° | 350/32 10° | 350/30 4° | 340/31 -10° | 340/42 -21° | 340/49 -37° | 320/46 -41° | 320/47 -47° |
| LOU | used from 544 nm out; 33 nm from the line | 320/15 | 340/24 14° | 330/28 9° | 340/34 4° | 340/37 -9° | 340/42 -20° | 320/39 -35° | 320/45 -39° | 330/40 -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 | ||||
| SHL Sheldon, IA | 49 nm out, 4 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,419 ft | ||||
| POH Pocahontas, IA | 109 nm out, 5 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,225 ft | ||||
| FOD Fort Dodge, IA | 129 nm out, 2 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,156 ft | ||||
| CID Cedar Rapids, IA | 247 nm out, 18 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 869 ft | ||||
| MLI Moline, IL | 307 nm out, 23 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 589 ft | ||||
| PIA Peoria, IL | 356 nm out, 4 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 660 ft | ||||
| CMI Champaign/Urbana, IL | 435 nm out, 5 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 754 ft | ||||
| HUF Terre Haute, IN | 495 nm out, 4 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 589 ft | ||||
| BMG Bloomington, IN | 524 nm out, 4 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 845 ft | ||||
| LOU Louisville, KY | 594 nm out, 19 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 545 ft | ||||
| LEX Lexington, KY | destination | no report just now | 979 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,430 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At LEX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:00 am EDT (04:00 UTC)
LEX 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 LEX 7:05 pm EDT (23:05 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:31 pm EDT (23:31 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at LEX is before sunrise there (7:43 am EDT (11:43 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, Blue Grass Airport.