Joe Foss Field to Portland International FSD → PDX
1,107 nautical miles (1,274 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 285°, about 280° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5E). At 120 knots that is 8 h 43 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 7-knot tailwind), arriving about 7:31 am PDT (14:31 UTC). 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
- 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 route from 40 to 838 nm out.
- 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 289 to 449 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 38,000 ft. Over the route from 339 to 479 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the route from 369 to 499 nm out.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 389 to 559 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 479 to 938 nm out.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 569 to 1008 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the route from 648 to 838 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the last 180 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 9 forecast points nearest it (FSD, PIR, RAP, MLS, BIL, DLN, LWS, YKM, PDX). 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 10 kt | −7 kt | 11 °C | 127 kt | 8 h 43 min | 7:31 am PDT (14:31 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 160° at 9 kt | −6 kt | 6 °C | 126 kt | 8 h 47 min | 7:35 am PDT (14:35 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 180° at 7 kt | −2 kt | 2 °C | 122 kt | 9 h 04 min | 7:52 am PDT (14:52 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 210° at 12 kt | +3 kt | 0 °C | 117 kt | 9 h 28 min | 8:16 am PDT (15:16 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 220° at 18 kt | +8 kt | -3 °C | 112 kt | 9 h 53 min | 8:41 am PDT (15:41 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 220° at 18 kt | +9 kt | -7 °C | 111 kt | 9 h 58 min | 8:46 am PDT (15:46 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 220° at 19 kt | +9 kt | -11 °C | 111 kt | 9 h 58 min | 8:46 am PDT (15:46 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 19 kt | +10 kt | -14 °C | 110 kt | 10 h 04 min | 8:52 am PDT (15:52 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 220° at 23 kt | +11 kt | -24 °C | 109 kt | 10 h 09 min | 8:57 am PDT (15:57 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 230° at 30 kt | +18 kt | -36 °C | 102 kt | 10 h 51 min | 9:39 am PDT (16:39 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 240° at 41 kt | +31 kt | -39 °C | 89 kt | 12 h 26 min | 11:14 am PDT (18:14 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 240° at 48 kt | +38 kt | -44 °C | 82 kt | 13 h 30 min | 12:18 pm PDT (19:18 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; 37 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 200 nm out; 59 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; 95 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; 57 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° | |
| DLN | used from 599 nm out; 63 nm from the line | 090/6 -6° | 240/22 -4° | 210/34 -16° | 210/62 -25° | 210/66 -34° | 210/82 -36° | 220/77 -42° | ||
| LWS | used from 798 nm out; 66 nm from the line | 070/10 | 080/12 -2° | 030/12 -6° | 080/7 -10° | 170/34 -21° | 160/46 -32° | 200/33 -35° | 220/22 -35° | 230/18 -38° |
| YKM | used from 948 nm out; 73 nm from the line | 070/10 | 040/15 -1° | 020/27 -8° | 030/25 -13° | 020/48 -20° | 010/83 -27° | 010/77 -37° | 010/49 -40° | 350/14 -41° |
| PDX | used from 1047 nm out; 35 nm from the line | L/V | 030/7 1° | 020/12 -6° | 020/29 -9° | 010/69 -16° | 010/81 -25° | 360/83 -40° | 360/67 -46° | 320/29 -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, 4 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 1,304 ft | ||||
| PIR Pierre, SD | 160 nm out, 9 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,744 ft | ||||
| EFC Belle Fourche, SD | 319 nm out, 5 nm east of the line | no report just now | 3,190 ft | ||||
| RED Red Lodge, MT | 549 nm out, 8 nm south of the line | no report just now | 5,762 ft | ||||
| BZN Bozeman, MT | 628 nm out, 20 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 4,473 ft | ||||
| RVF Twin Bridges, MT | 678 nm out, 4 nm east of the line | no report just now | 4,788 ft | ||||
| GIC Grangeville, ID | 838 nm out, 18 nm north of the line | no report just now | 3,313 ft | ||||
| PDT Pendleton, OR | 948 nm out, 3 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,494 ft | ||||
| DLS The Dalles, OR | 1047 nm out, 1 nm south of the line | no report just now | 246 ft | ||||
| PDX Portland, OR | destination | no report just now | 30 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 5,762 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At PDX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 7:31 am PDT (14:31 UTC)
PDX 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 PDX 6:30 pm PDT (01:30 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:00 pm PDT (02:00 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, Portland International.