Plan a flight · Sun 10:03 pm CDT (03:03 UTC)

General Mitchell International to Northern Colorado Regional MKE → FNL

780 nautical miles (898 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 265°, about 269° magnetic at the departure end (variation 4W). At 120 knots that is 7 h 39 min at the quickest height in today's winds (12,500 ft, a 18-knot headwind), arriving about 4:42 am MDT (10:42 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now MKE is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (200°) at 9 knots; FNL is VFR, wind from the northeast (050°) at 5 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

AIRMET TANGO 3W: 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 217 to 662 nm out.
AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the last 128 nm of the route.
AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the last 69 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 MKE.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

UAL1340 at 40,000 ft, 32 nm south, 7:18 pm CDT (00:18 UTC): moderate chop turbulence, wind 244° at 70 knots. 593 nm along the route, 32 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ARP UAL1340 4046N 10049W 0018 F400 244/070KT TB OCNL MOD CHOP IC
```
Report
a routine report filed through ARP
B738 at 23,000 ft, 32 nm south, 9:34 pm CDT (02:34 UTC): moderate turbulence, remarks: during the climb ZDVWC-05. At the destination end, 32 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DEN UA /OV DVV270030/TM 0234/FL230/TP B738/TB MOD /RM DURC ZDVWC-05
```
Report
a routine report filed through DEN
Where
30 nm west (270°) of DVV
Time
02:34 UTC
Height
at 23,000 ft
Aircraft
B738
Turbulence
moderate
Remarks
during the climb ZDVWC-05
BCS1 at 24,000 ft, 32 nm south, 8:30 pm CDT (01:30 UTC): moderate turbulence from 22,000 ft to 24,000 ft, remarks: during the climb ZDVWC-05. At the destination end, 32 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DEN UA /OV DVV270030/TM 0130/FL240/TP BCS1/TB MOD 220-240/RM DURC ZDVWC-05
```
Report
a routine report filed through DEN
Where
30 nm west (270°) of DVV
Time
01:30 UTC
Height
at 24,000 ft
Aircraft
BCS1
Turbulence
moderate from 22,000 ft to 24,000 ft
Remarks
during the climb ZDVWC-05
CRJ2 at 19,000 ft, 49 nm northwest, 7:47 pm CDT (00:47 UTC): moderate chop turbulence, remarks: ZDVWC-13. At the destination end, 49 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
EGE UA /OV RLG010052/TM 0047/FL190/TP CRJ2/TB COSN MOD CHOP/RM ZDVWC-13
```
Report
a routine report filed through EGE
Where
52 nm north (010°) of RLG
Time
00:47 UTC
Height
at 19,000 ft
Aircraft
CRJ2
Turbulence
cosn moderate chop
Remarks
ZDVWC-13
E295 at 37,000 ft, 12 nm north, 7:53 pm CDT (00:53 UTC): light chop turbulence. At the departure end, 12 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
UES UA /OV BAE/TM 0053/FL370/TP E295/TB OCNL LGT CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through UES
Where
over BAE
Time
00:53 UTC
Height
at 37,000 ft
Aircraft
E295
Turbulence
occasional light chop
B789 at 40,000 ft, 24 nm southeast, 7:22 pm CDT (00:22 UTC): light to moderate clear-air turbulence, remarks: zdvwc. 612 nm along the route, 24 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
SNY UA /OV SNY088081/TM 0022/FL400/TP B789/TB OCNL LGT-MOD CAT/RM ZDVWC
```
Report
a routine report filed through SNY
Where
81 nm east (088°) of SNY
Time
00:22 UTC
Height
at 40,000 ft
Aircraft
B789
Turbulence
occasional light to moderate clear-air turbulence
Remarks
zdvwc
B789 at 40,000 ft, 21 nm south, 7:22 pm CDT (00:22 UTC): light to moderate clear-air turbulence, remarks: zdvwc. 612 nm along the route, 21 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
SNY UA /OV SNY088072/TM 0022/FL400/TP B789/TB OCNL LGT-MOD CAT /RM ZDVWC
```
Report
a routine report filed through SNY
Where
72 nm east (088°) of SNY
Time
00:22 UTC
Height
at 40,000 ft
Aircraft
B789
Turbulence
occasional light to moderate clear-air turbulence
Remarks
zdvwc
B737 descending, 42 nm southeast, 9:29 pm CDT (02:29 UTC): no turbulence up to 10,000 ft. At the destination end, 42 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DEN UA /OV DEN/TM 0229/FLDURD/TP B737/TB NEG BLO 100
```
Report
a routine report filed through DEN
Where
over DEN
Time
02:29 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
B737
Turbulence
no below 10,000 ft
B737 descending, 42 nm southeast, 8:23 pm CDT (01:23 UTC): no turbulence up to 10,000 ft. At the destination end, 42 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DEN UA /OV DEN/TM 0123/FLDURD/TP B737/TB NEG BLO 100
```
Report
a routine report filed through DEN
Where
over DEN
Time
01:23 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
B737
Turbulence
no below 10,000 ft
A321 descending, 42 nm southeast, 7:26 pm CDT (00:26 UTC): no turbulence up to 10,000 ft. At the destination end, 42 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DEN UA /OV DEN/TM 0026/FLDURD/TP A321/TB NEG BLO 100
```
Report
a routine report filed through DEN
Where
over DEN
Time
00:26 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
A321
Turbulence
no below 10,000 ft

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 (JOT, DBQ, MCW, DSM, OMA, ONL, GRI, BFF, DEN). 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	220° at 30 kt	+24 kt	20 °C	96 kt	8 h 08 min	5:11 am MDT (11:11 UTC)
6,500 ft	230° at 26 kt	+23 kt	17 °C	97 kt	8 h 02 min	5:05 am MDT (11:05 UTC)
8,500 ft	240° at 22 kt	+20 kt	12 °C	100 kt	7 h 48 min	4:51 am MDT (10:51 UTC)
10,500 ft	230° at 20 kt	+19 kt	9 °C	101 kt	7 h 43 min	4:46 am MDT (10:46 UTC)
12,500 ft	230° at 20 kt	+18 kt	5 °C	102 kt	7 h 39 min	4:42 am MDT (10:42 UTC)
14,500 ft	240° at 22 kt	+21 kt	0 °C	99 kt	7 h 53 min	4:56 am MDT (10:56 UTC)
16,500 ft	240° at 24 kt	+23 kt	-4 °C	97 kt	8 h 02 min	5:05 am MDT (11:05 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	240° at 25 kt	+25 kt	-8 °C	95 kt	8 h 13 min	5:16 am MDT (11:16 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	240° at 31 kt	+30 kt	-20 °C	90 kt	8 h 40 min	5:43 am MDT (11:43 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	250° at 40 kt	+40 kt	-33 °C	80 kt	9 h 45 min	6:48 am MDT (12:48 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	260° at 50 kt	+50 kt	-40 °C	70 kt	11 h 09 min	8:12 am MDT (14:12 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	270° at 57 kt	+57 kt	-49 °C	63 kt	12 h 23 min	9:26 am MDT (15:26 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
JOT	used from 0 nm out; 84 nm from the line	250/23	270/22 15°	250/16 10°	240/9 4°	280/22 -7°	280/29 -19°	300/29 -34°	290/50 -43°	300/64 -52°
DBQ	used from 49 nm out; 56 nm from the line	230/33	250/30 16°	280/15 9°	260/15 5°	260/21 -7°	260/24 -20°	250/37 -33°	270/42 -43°	280/63 -52°
MCW	used from 198 nm out; 44 nm from the line	220/44	250/30 17°	230/14 12°	240/17 6°	250/22 -8°	270/29 -20°	250/34 -34°	260/52 -43°	260/59 -51°
DSM	used from 247 nm out; 52 nm from the line	230/40	250/33 17°	250/18 12°	240/17 5°	260/28 -8°	270/34 -19°	260/41 -33°	260/55 -41°	270/62 -51°
OMA	used from 296 nm out; 66 nm from the line	220/47	240/33 19°	250/18 11°	230/17 6°	260/29 -8°	250/33 -19°	250/51 -33°	260/61 -40°	270/62 -49°
ONL	used from 395 nm out; 71 nm from the line		210/31 20°	230/27 13°	230/18 7°	220/19 -8°	240/26 -20°	250/44 -35°	270/52 -39°	260/57 -47°
GRI	used from 494 nm out; 62 nm from the line		230/35 21°	230/23 13°	220/20 7°	240/25 -8°	240/37 -20°	250/49 -33°	260/57 -38°	260/58 -47°
BFF	used from 593 nm out; 101 nm from the line		180/28	220/33 15°	210/31 7°	230/32 -9°	220/41 -21°	220/40 -33°	240/47 -36°	250/54 -46°
DEN	used from 741 nm out; 41 nm from the line			240/21 14°	250/44 6°	220/49 -8°	220/49 -21°	230/54 -30°	240/57 -35°	240/49 -45°

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
MKE Milwaukee, WI	departure	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 feet	from the south-southwest (200°) at 9 knots	10+ mi	none	728 ft	9:52 pm CDT (02:52 UTC)
JVL Janesville, WI	49 nm out, 15 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	807 ft	02:35 UTC
DBQ Dubuque, IA	128 nm out, 19 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (180°) at 7 knots	10+ mi	none	1,076 ft	02:53 UTC
ALO Waterloo, IA	198 nm out, 2 nm west of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (180°) at 11 knots	10+ mi	none	873 ft	02:54 UTC
IFA Iowa Falls, IA	237 nm out, 2 nm west of the line	VFR	from the south-southeast (160°) at 8 knots	10+ mi	none	1,137 ft	02:55 UTC
SUX Sioux City, IA	375 nm out, 21 nm north of the line, tower	VFR	from the north-northwest (340°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	none	1,098 ft	02:52 UTC
BVN Albion, NE	454 nm out, 5 nm south of the line	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	1,806 ft	02:55 UTC
ODX Ord, NE	494 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line	VFR	from the northeast (050°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	2,070 ft	02:53 UTC
LBF North Platte, NE	583 nm out, 13 nm southeast of the line	VFR	from the east (100°) at 10 knots	10+ mi	none	2,777 ft	02:53 UTC
CNP Chappell, NE	662 nm out, 5 nm north of the line	no report just now				3,681 ft
GXY Greeley, CO	761 nm out, 7 nm south of the line	VFR	from the south-southwest (210°) at 8 knots	10+ mi	none	4,696 ft	02:56 UTC
FNL Fort Collins/Loveland, CO	destination	VFR	from the northeast (050°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	5,020 ft	8:56 pm MDT (02:56 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 5,020 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At FNL when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 4:42 am MDT (10:42 UTC)

FNL has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.

The forecast for MKE, the departure

From Sun 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the south at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
From Sun 10:00 pm CDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 13 knots, gusting to 21, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, scattered clouds at 10,000 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 MKE 6:14 pm CDT (23:14 UTC), at FNL 6:24 pm MDT (00:24 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:52 pm MDT (00:52 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at FNL is before sunrise there (7:07 am MDT (13:07 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 upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the northern Rockies · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the southern Rockies · loop National Weather Service

Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service

Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center

Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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: General Mitchell International, Northern Colorado Regional.