Quad Cities International to Columbia Regional MLI → COU
176 nautical miles (203 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 207°, about 206° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1E). At 120 knots that is 1 h 19 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 13-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:33 pm CDT (03:33 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now MLI is VFR, wind from the south (170°) at 10 knots; COU is VFR, wind from the south (190°) 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
No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.
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 MLI.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
No pilot reports within 50 nautical miles of the line in the last three hours.
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 20:00–03:00 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 (BRL, COU). 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 18 kt | +17 kt | 103 kt | 1 h 43 min | 10:57 pm CDT (03:57 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 240° at 21 kt | +18 kt | 15 °C | 102 kt | 1 h 44 min | 10:58 pm CDT (03:58 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 240° at 26 kt | +21 kt | 11 °C | 99 kt | 1 h 47 min | 11:01 pm CDT (04:01 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 250° at 25 kt | +19 kt | 8 °C | 101 kt | 1 h 45 min | 10:59 pm CDT (03:59 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 260° at 23 kt | +15 kt | 5 °C | 105 kt | 1 h 41 min | 10:55 pm CDT (03:55 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 260° at 21 kt | +12 kt | 1 °C | 108 kt | 1 h 38 min | 10:52 pm CDT (03:52 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 270° at 19 kt | +9 kt | -4 °C | 111 kt | 1 h 35 min | 10:49 pm CDT (03:49 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 280° at 18 kt | +7 kt | -7 °C | 113 kt | 1 h 33 min | 10:47 pm CDT (03:47 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 290° at 21 kt | +4 kt | -18 °C | 116 kt | 1 h 31 min | 10:45 pm CDT (03:45 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 310° at 37 kt | −10 kt | -33 °C | 130 kt | 1 h 21 min | 10:35 pm CDT (03:35 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 310° at 48 kt | −13 kt | -43 °C | 133 kt | 1 h 19 min | 10:33 pm CDT (03:33 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 64 kt | −10 kt | -53 °C | 130 kt | 1 h 21 min | 10:35 pm CDT (03:35 UTC) |
Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRL | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 200/20 | 250/21 16° | 240/22 10° | 260/20 5° | 270/16 -7° | 290/22 -18° | 320/41 -34° | 320/56 -43° | 310/68 -53° |
| COU | used from 98 nm out; 54 nm from the line | 210/16 | 220/19 15° | 240/33 10° | 250/29 7° | 280/21 -6° | 280/19 -18° | 300/34 -31° | 300/40 -42° | 300/60 -52° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLI Moline, IL | departure | VFR | from the south (170°) at 10 knots | 10+ mi | none | 589 ft | 8:52 pm CDT (01:52 UTC) |
| GBG Galesburg, IL | 29 nm out, 17 nm east of the line | VFR | from the south-southeast (160°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 764 ft | 01:55 UTC |
| BRL Burlington, IA | 49 nm out, 7 nm northwest of the line | VFR | from the south (170°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 698 ft | 01:53 UTC |
| HAE Hannibal, MO | 108 nm out, 9 nm southeast of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 768 ft | 23:35 UTC |
| MYJ Mexico, MO | 147 nm out, 8 nm southeast of the line | VFR | from the south-southeast (150°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 822 ft | 23:35 UTC |
| COU Columbia, MO | destination | VFR | from the south (190°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 889 ft | 8:54 pm CDT (01:54 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 889 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At COU when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:33 pm CDT (03:33 UTC)
Wind from the south-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for COU
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 13 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for MLI, the departure
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 15 knots, gusting to 22, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/7634 CENTRALIA, MO, Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 4 nm from the route, 157 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · today · ZKC
Daylight
Sunset at MLI 6:26 pm CDT (23:26 UTC), at COU 6:35 pm CDT (23:35 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:01 pm CDT (00:01 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at COU is after sunset there (6:36 pm CDT (23:36 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: Quad Cities International, Columbia Regional.