Great Falls International to Bert Mooney Airport GTF → BTM
103 nautical miles (118 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 207°, about 194° magnetic at the departure end (variation 13E). At 120 knots that is 52 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, no wind along the track), arriving about 8:55 am MDT (14:55 UTC). Right now GTF is low IFR, wind from the west-northwest (290°) at 5 knots; BTM is marginal VFR, wind calm. 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 whole route.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 18,000 ft. Over the whole route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the whole 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 GTF.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- A319 at 7,500 ft, 3 nm southwest, 7:41 am MDT (13:41 UTC): overcast from 30,000 ft to 7,500 ft. At the departure end, 3 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
GTF UA /OV 180010/TM 1341/FL075/TP A319/SK OVC003-TOPS075
- Report
- a routine report filed through GTF
- Where
- wind from 180° at 10 knots
- Time
- 13:41 UTC
- Height
- at 7,500 ft
- Aircraft
- A319
- Sky
- overcast from 300 ft, tops 7,500 ft
- B752 at 41,000 ft, 2 nm southeast, 6:31 am MDT (12:31 UTC): light to moderate turbulence above 41,000 ft. 47 nm along the route, 2 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
HLN UA /OV HLN009010/TM 1231/FL410/TP B752/TB CONS LGT OCNL MOD 410/ZLC
- Report
- a routine report filed through HLN
- Where
- 10 nm north (009°) of HLN
- Time
- 12:31 UTC
- Height
- at 41,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B752
- Turbulence
- continuous light occasional moderate 410/ZLC
- BE9L at 7,500 ft, 13 nm southeast, 6:45 am MDT (12:45 UTC): no turbulence, light rime icing, overcast from 7,500 ft to 9,000 ft, -6 °C, remarks: during the climb. 56 nm along the route, 13 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
HLN UA /OV HLN120010/TM 1245/FL075/TP BE9L/SK OVC075-TOPS090/TA M06/TB NEG/IC LGT RIME/RM DURC
- Report
- a routine report filed through HLN
- Where
- 10 nm southeast (120°) of HLN
- Time
- 12:45 UTC
- Height
- at 7,500 ft
- Aircraft
- BE9L
- Sky
- overcast from 7,500 ft, tops 9,000 ft
- Temperature
- −6 °C
- Turbulence
- none
- Icing
- light rime
- Remarks
- during the climb
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 08:00–15:00 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 2 forecast points nearest it (GTF, DLN). 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 | light and variable | 0 | 120 kt | 52 min | 8:55 am MDT (14:55 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | light and variable | 0 | 120 kt | 52 min | 8:55 am MDT (14:55 UTC) | |
| 8,500 ft | light and variable | +1 kt | -4 °C | 119 kt | 52 min | 8:55 am MDT (14:55 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 230° at 5 kt | +5 kt | -8 °C | 115 kt | 54 min | 8:57 am MDT (14:57 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 240° at 11 kt | +10 kt | -8 °C | 110 kt | 56 min | 8:59 am MDT (14:59 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 240° at 17 kt | +15 kt | -10 °C | 105 kt | 59 min | 9:02 am MDT (15:02 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 240° at 24 kt | +21 kt | -12 °C | 99 kt | 1 h 02 min | 9:05 am MDT (15:05 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 240° at 29 kt | +25 kt | -14 °C | 95 kt | 1 h 05 min | 9:08 am MDT (15:08 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 240° at 40 kt | +34 kt | -28 °C | 86 kt | 1 h 12 min | 9:15 am MDT (15:15 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 210° at 53 kt | +53 kt | -38 °C | 67 kt | 1 h 32 min | 9:35 am MDT (15:35 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 210° at 76 kt | +76 kt | -38 °C | 44 kt | 2 h 20 min | 10:23 am MDT (16:23 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 220° at 71 kt | +70 kt | -43 °C | 50 kt | 2 h 04 min | 10:07 am MDT (16:07 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 06:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 12:00 UTC for use 08:00 to 15:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTF | used from 0 nm out; 23 nm from the line | L/V | L/V -7° | 240/8 -8° | 240/30 -14° | 240/40 -28° | 210/52 -38° | 210/76 -38° | 220/72 -43° | |
| DLN | used from 93 nm out; 46 nm from the line | 190/10 -4° | 220/23 -4° | 210/21 -18° | 210/43 -28° | 210/60 -33° | 210/72 -37° | 210/67 -44° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTF Great Falls, MT | departure | low IFR Sky: overcast at 400 feet Weather: mist | from the west-northwest (290°) at 5 knots | 0.25 mi | 400 ft | 3,680 ft | 7:53 am MDT (13:53 UTC) |
| HLN Helena, MT | 56 nm out, 3 nm south of the line, tower | marginal VFR Sky: a broken layer at 2,000 feet, overcast at 4,300 feet | from the west (270°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | 2,000 ft | 3,877 ft | 13:53 UTC |
| BTM Butte, MT | destination | marginal VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 1,400 feet, overcast at 2,000 feet | calm | 10+ mi | 2,000 ft | 5,550 ft | 7:53 am MDT (13:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 5,550 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At BTM when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:55 am MDT (14:55 UTC)
Wind calm, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 700 feet IFR
The whole forecast for BTM
- From Mon 6:00 am MDT (12:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 700 feet
- From Mon 9:00 am MDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 2 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,500 feet
- From Mon 5:00 pm MDT (23:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 2 knots, visibility 6 miles, haze, mist, a broken layer at 5,000 feet
The forecast for GTF, the departure
- From Mon 8:00 am MDT (14:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility ¾ mile, mist, sky obscured at 300 feet
- At times between Mon 8:00 am MDT (14:00 UTC) and 10:00 am MDT (16:00 UTC): visibility 2 miles, mist, overcast at 400 feet
- From Mon 11:00 am MDT (17:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 700 feet
- From Mon 10:00 pm MDT (04:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 500 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 GTF 6:41 pm MDT (00:41 UTC), at BTM 6:47 pm MDT (00:47 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:17 pm MDT (01:17 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
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: Great Falls International, Bert Mooney Airport.