Joe Foss Field to Kansas City International FSD → MCI
273 nautical miles (314 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 160°, about 155° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5E). At 120 knots that is 1 h 54 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 24-knot tailwind), arriving about 9:42 pm CDT (02:42 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now FSD is VFR, wind from the west-northwest (290°) at 7 knots; MCI is VFR, wind from the south (170°) at 9 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: 3 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
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 3 forecast points nearest it (FSD, OMA, MKC). 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 | 200° at 29 kt | +22 kt | 98 kt | 2 h 47 min | 10:35 pm CDT (03:35 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 220° at 29 kt | +14 kt | 106 kt | 2 h 35 min | 10:23 pm CDT (03:23 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 240° at 26 kt | +6 kt | 15 °C | 114 kt | 2 h 24 min | 10:12 pm CDT (03:12 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 250° at 23 kt | −1 kt | 11 °C | 121 kt | 2 h 15 min | 10:03 pm CDT (03:03 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 260° at 19 kt | −2 kt | 7 °C | 122 kt | 2 h 14 min | 10:02 pm CDT (03:02 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 250° at 20 kt | −1 kt | 3 °C | 121 kt | 2 h 15 min | 10:03 pm CDT (03:03 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 250° at 22 kt | −1 kt | -2 °C | 121 kt | 2 h 15 min | 10:03 pm CDT (03:03 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 250° at 23 kt | −1 kt | -6 °C | 121 kt | 2 h 15 min | 10:03 pm CDT (03:03 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 24 kt | 0 | -7 °C | 120 kt | 2 h 16 min | 10:04 pm CDT (03:04 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 250° at 27 kt | −2 kt | -19 °C | 122 kt | 2 h 14 min | 10:02 pm CDT (03:02 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 260° at 35 kt | −8 kt | -32 °C | 128 kt | 2 h 08 min | 9:56 pm CDT (02:56 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 260° at 39 kt | −7 kt | -41 °C | 127 kt | 2 h 09 min | 9:57 pm CDT (02:57 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 280° at 55 kt | −24 kt | -51 °C | 144 kt | 1 h 54 min | 9:42 pm CDT (02:42 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; 24 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° |
| OMA | used from 49 nm out; 69 nm from the line | 190/34 | 230/34 19° | 250/25 12° | 250/18 6° | 250/22 -7° | 250/28 -19° | 260/34 -32° | 260/39 -41° | 280/56 -51° |
| MKC | used from 195 nm out; 65 nm from the line | 200/28 | 220/30 16° | 270/20 11° | 280/22 7° | 260/27 -6° | 270/27 -18° | 280/38 -32° | 270/38 -40° | 280/50 -52° |
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 | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 18,000 feet, a broken layer at 25,000 feet | from the west-northwest (290°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | 18,000 ft | 1,430 ft | 6:56 pm CDT (23:56 UTC) |
| SXK Maurice, IA | 39 nm out, 12 nm east of the line | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 5,000 feet | from the south (190°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,408 ft | 00:35 UTC |
| SUX Sioux City, IA | 68 nm out, 10 nm southwest of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (210°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,098 ft | 23:52 UTC |
| MEY Mapleton, IA | 97 nm out, 11 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 1,116 ft | ||||
| OMA Omaha, NE | 146 nm out, 12 nm west of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 25,000 feet | from the south (180°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | 25,000 ft | 984 ft | 23:52 UTC |
| EVU Maryville, MO | 214 nm out, 13 nm northeast of the line | VFR | from the south (170°) at 9 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,145 ft | 23:35 UTC |
| STJ St Joseph, MO | 244 nm out, 1 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southeast (160°) at 10 knots | 10+ mi | none | 826 ft | 23:53 UTC |
| MCI Kansas City, MO | destination | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 25,000 feet | from the south (170°) at 9 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,027 ft | 6:53 pm CDT (23:53 UTC) |
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 MCI when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 9:42 pm CDT (02:42 UTC)
Wind from the south at 11 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for MCI
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 17 knots, gusting to 26, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for FSD, the departure
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the west at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- From Sun 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- From Sun 11:00 pm CDT (04:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 8:00 am CDT (13:00 UTC): wind from the northeast at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 700 feet
- From Mon 2:00 pm CDT (19:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 4:00 pm CDT (21:00 UTC): wind from the west at 11 knots, gusting to 17, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 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 FSD 6:50 pm CDT (23:50 UTC), at MCI 6:44 pm CDT (23:44 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:11 pm CDT (00:11 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at MCI is after sunset there (6:46 pm CDT (23:46 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, Kansas City International.