Joe Foss Field to Missoula Montana Airport FSD → MSO
758 nautical miles (873 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 291°, about 286° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 53 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 9-knot tailwind), arriving about 5:45 am MDT (11:45 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 4E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the last 718 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: 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 route from 339 to 399 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 38,000 ft. Near the route, 369 nm along the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the route from 389 to 449 nm out.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 399 to 499 nm out.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the last 249 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the last 220 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the last 120 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 02:00–09:00 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 7 forecast points nearest it (FSD, PIR, RAP, MLS, BIL, GTF, GPI). 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 | 150° at 12 kt | −9 kt | 12 °C | 129 kt | 5 h 53 min | 5:45 am MDT (11:45 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 170° at 12 kt | −7 kt | 12 °C | 127 kt | 5 h 58 min | 5:50 am MDT (11:50 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 190° at 15 kt | −3 kt | 11 °C | 123 kt | 6 h 10 min | 6:02 am MDT (12:02 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 200° at 21 kt | +1 kt | 3 °C | 119 kt | 6 h 22 min | 6:14 am MDT (12:14 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 210° at 26 kt | +4 kt | 0 °C | 116 kt | 6 h 32 min | 6:24 am MDT (12:24 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 210° at 27 kt | +8 kt | -4 °C | 112 kt | 6 h 46 min | 6:38 am MDT (12:38 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 220° at 28 kt | +11 kt | -8 °C | 109 kt | 6 h 57 min | 6:49 am MDT (12:49 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 29 kt | +13 kt | -11 °C | 107 kt | 7 h 05 min | 6:57 am MDT (12:57 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 220° at 34 kt | +15 kt | -22 °C | 105 kt | 7 h 13 min | 7:05 am MDT (13:05 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 44 kt | +18 kt | -37 °C | 102 kt | 7 h 26 min | 7:18 am MDT (13:18 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 240° at 56 kt | +38 kt | -40 °C | 82 kt | 9 h 15 min | 9:07 am MDT (15:07 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 240° at 61 kt | +44 kt | -46 °C | 76 kt | 9 h 58 min | 9:50 am MDT (15:50 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 00:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 06:00 UTC for use 02:00 to 09:00 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 | 190/9 | 230/30 18° | 240/23 13° | 240/20 6° | 260/22 -9° | 250/31 -21° | 250/43 -36° | 260/49 -43° | 270/53 -47° |
| PIR | used from 100 nm out; 36 nm from the line | 170/22 19° | 190/25 13° | 210/32 6° | 240/23 -9° | 250/32 -21° | 250/38 -36° | 260/44 -40° | 260/52 -47° | |
| RAP | used from 249 nm out; 64 nm from the line | 180/23 12° | 200/38 13° | 210/38 6° | 220/28 -10° | 230/34 -21° | 230/37 -36° | 250/52 -38° | 250/59 -46° | |
| MLS | used from 349 nm out; 63 nm from the line | 150/23 2° | 190/29 4° | 210/44 2° | 220/32 -10° | 210/36 -21° | 200/48 -37° | 230/63 -40° | 240/71 -47° | |
| BIL | used from 449 nm out; 51 nm from the line | 080/13 | 180/9 -2° | 210/38 0° | 220/51 -11° | 210/46 -22° | 210/58 -35° | 230/73 -39° | 230/72 -45° | |
| GTF | used from 599 nm out; 61 nm from the line | 070/11 | 080/15 -7° | 110/19 -9° | 190/25 -14° | 200/34 -23° | 200/54 -39° | 220/66 -40° | 220/77 -44° | |
| GPI | used from 748 nm out; 85 nm from the line | 070/19 -5° | 100/16 -7° | 080/10 -8° | 130/8 -19° | 170/37 -28° | 200/50 -40° | 210/43 -40° | 220/41 -42° |
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 | ||||
| MHE Mitchell, SD | 60 nm out, 10 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,304 ft | ||||
| MKA Miller, SD | 110 nm out, 19 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,569 ft | ||||
| PIR Pierre, SD | 160 nm out, 8 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,744 ft | ||||
| BIL Billings, MT | 519 nm out, 22 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 3,662 ft | ||||
| HWQ Harlowton, MT | 579 nm out, 5 nm north of the line | no report just now | 4,311 ft | ||||
| HLN Helena, MT | 669 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 3,877 ft | ||||
| MSO Missoula, MT | destination | no report just now | 3,205 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 4,311 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MSO when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 5:45 am MDT (11:45 UTC)
MSO 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 6:49 pm CDT (23:49 UTC), at MSO 6:54 pm MDT (00:54 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:25 pm MDT (01:25 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at MSO is before sunrise there (7:49 am MDT (13:49 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, Missoula Montana Airport.