The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 1:02 am PDT (08:02 UTC)

Spokane International to Joe Foss Field GEG → FSD

903 nautical miles (1,040 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 098°, about 084° magnetic at the departure end (variation 14E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 43 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 38-knot tailwind), arriving about 8:45 am CDT (13:45 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 return flight

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 ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the first 407 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the first 208 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 60 to 367 nm out.
  • 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 79 to 824 nm out.
  • AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 407 to 566 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 516 to 586 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Near the route, 546 nm along 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 GEG.

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 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 9 forecast points nearest it (GEG, GPI, GTF, BIL, MLS, DIK, RAP, PIR, FSD). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
5,500 ft140° at 12 kt+11 kt7 °C109 kt8 h 17 min11:19 am CDT (16:19 UTC)
7,500 ft160° at 12 kt+8 kt7 °C112 kt8 h 04 min11:06 am CDT (16:06 UTC)
9,500 ft180° at 15 kt+4 kt2 °C116 kt7 h 47 min10:49 am CDT (15:49 UTC)
11,500 ft200° at 21 kt−1 kt0 °C121 kt7 h 28 min10:30 am CDT (15:30 UTC)
13,500 ft210° at 24 kt−5 kt-4 °C125 kt7 h 13 min10:15 am CDT (15:15 UTC)
15,500 ft210° at 25 kt−7 kt-7 °C127 kt7 h 07 min10:09 am CDT (15:09 UTC)
17,500 ft220° at 27 kt−10 kt-12 °C130 kt6 h 57 min9:59 am CDT (14:59 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180220° at 28 kt−11 kt-12 °C131 kt6 h 54 min9:56 am CDT (14:56 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240210° at 33 kt−11 kt-23 °C131 kt6 h 54 min9:56 am CDT (14:56 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300220° at 39 kt−16 kt-37 °C136 kt6 h 38 min9:40 am CDT (14:40 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340240° at 47 kt−31 kt-40 °C151 kt5 h 59 min9:01 am CDT (14:01 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390240° at 53 kt−38 kt-45 °C158 kt5 h 43 min8:45 am CDT (13:45 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
GEGused from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line080/16 -2°050/17 -7°080/9 -10°190/33 -21°180/31 -32°L/V -35°L/V -37°270/8 -40°
GPIused from 99 nm out; 62 nm from the line070/19 -5°100/16 -7°080/10 -8°130/8 -19°170/37 -28°200/50 -40°210/43 -40°220/41 -42°
GTFused from 199 nm out; 43 nm from the line070/11080/15 -7°110/19 -9°190/25 -14°200/34 -23°200/54 -39°220/66 -40°220/77 -44°
BILused from 298 nm out; 70 nm from the line080/13180/9 -2°210/38 0°220/51 -11°210/46 -22°210/58 -35°230/73 -39°230/72 -45°
MLSused from 447 nm out; 32 nm from the line150/23 2°190/29 4°210/44 2°220/32 -10°210/36 -21°200/48 -37°230/63 -40°240/71 -47°
DIKused from 546 nm out; 93 nm from the line150/24 7°200/38 6°220/53 0°230/51 -9°230/49 -21°240/37 -37°240/47 -44°250/65 -48°
RAPused from 596 nm out; 72 nm from the line180/23 12°200/38 13°210/38 6°220/28 -10°230/34 -21°230/37 -36°250/52 -38°250/59 -46°
PIRused from 645 nm out; 74 nm from the line170/22 19°190/25 13°210/32 6°240/23 -9°250/32 -21°250/38 -36°260/44 -40°260/52 -47°
FSDused from 844 nm out; 35 nm from the line190/9230/30 18°240/23 13°240/20 6°260/22 -9°250/31 -21°250/43 -36°260/49 -43°270/53 -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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
GEG Spokane, WA departure no report just now 2,385 ft
THM Thompson Falls, MT 89 nm out, 11 nm north of the line no report just now 2,467 ft
MSO Missoula, MT 149 nm out, 20 nm south of the line, tower no report just now 3,205 ft
HLN Helena, MT 238 nm out, 21 nm southwest of the line, tower no report just now 3,877 ft
HWQ Harlowton, MT 318 nm out, 11 nm south of the line no report just now 4,311 ft
RPX Roundup, MT 377 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line no report just now 3,490 ft
PIR Pierre, SD 745 nm out, 12 nm southwest of the line no report just now 1,744 ft
MHE Mitchell, SD 844 nm out, 11 nm south of the line no report just now 1,304 ft
FSD Sioux Falls, SD destination no report just now 1,430 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 FSD when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:45 am CDT (13:45 UTC)

FSD 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 GEG 6:06 pm PDT (01:06 UTC), at FSD 6:49 pm CDT (23:49 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:17 pm CDT (00:17 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

Radar now, the Pacific Northwest
Radar now, the Pacific Northwest · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the northern Rockies
Radar now, the northern Rockies · loop National Weather Service
Radar, the whole country
Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service
Surface analysis now
Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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: Spokane International, Joe Foss Field.