Minot International to Billings Logan International MOT → BIL
332 nautical miles (382 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 246°, about 240° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6E). At 120 knots that is 2 h 47 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 1-knot headwind), arriving about 12:44 pm MDT (18:44 UTC). Right now MOT is marginal VFR, wind from the north (350°) at 7 knots; BIL 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: 2 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 22,000 ft. Over the first 127 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 18,000 ft. Over the route from 117 to 273 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the last 20 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 MOT.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- B38M at 34,000 ft, 35 nm southeast, 9:49 am CDT (14:49 UTC): no turbulence. At the departure end, 35 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
MOT UA /OV MOT120035/TM 1449/FL340/TP B38M/TB NEG
- Report
- a routine report filed through MOT
- Where
- 35 nm southeast (120°) of MOT
- Time
- 14:49 UTC
- Height
- at 34,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B38M
- Turbulence
- none
- UNKN , 19 nm northwest, 10:10 am CDT (15:10 UTC): no icing. 117 nm along the route, 19 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
SDY UA /OV SDY/TM 1510/FLUNKN/TP UNKN/SK BASE027 TOP057/IC NEG/ZLC
- Report
- a routine report filed through SDY
- Where
- over SDY
- Time
- 15:10 UTC
- Height
- height not given
- Aircraft
- UNKN
- Sky
- BASE027 TOP057
- Icing
- neg/zlc
- C340 at 6,000 ft, 23 nm north, 9:55 am CDT (14:55 UTC): no turbulence, light icing, -2 °C. 166 nm along the route, 23 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
SDY UA /OV SDY240043/TM 1455/FL060/TP C340/TA M02/TB NEG/IC LGT CLR/ZLC
- Report
- a routine report filed through SDY
- Where
- 43 nm southwest (240°) of SDY
- Time
- 14:55 UTC
- Height
- at 6,000 ft
- Aircraft
- C340
- Temperature
- −2 °C
- Turbulence
- none
- Icing
- light clr/zlc
- CL35 at 45,000 ft, 41 nm northwest, 10:42 am CDT (15:42 UTC): light chop turbulence. 312 nm along the route, 41 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
BIL UA /OV BIL345045/TM 1542/FL450/TP CL35/TB CONS LGT CHOP /ZLC
- Report
- a routine report filed through BIL
- Where
- 45 nm north (345°) of BIL
- Time
- 15:42 UTC
- Height
- at 45,000 ft
- Aircraft
- CL35
- Turbulence
- continuous light chop zlc
- C25A at 5,000 ft, 3 nm west, 8:00 am CDT (13:00 UTC): light rime icing, 4 °C, remarks: lt rime in the descent. At the destination end, 3 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
BIL UA /OV 100006/TM 1300/FL050/TP C25A/TA 4/IC LT RIME/RM LT RIME IN THE DESCENT
- Report
- a routine report filed through BIL
- Where
- wind from 100° at 6 knots
- Time
- 13:00 UTC
- Height
- at 5,000 ft
- Aircraft
- C25A
- Temperature
- 4 °C
- Icing
- lt rime
- Remarks
- lt rime in the descent
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 14:00–21:00 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 4 forecast points nearest it (MOT, DIK, MLS, BIL). 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 | 320° at 7 kt | +1 kt | 0 °C | 119 kt | 2 h 47 min | 12:44 pm MDT (18:44 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 300° at 7 kt | +3 kt | 0 °C | 117 kt | 2 h 50 min | 12:47 pm MDT (18:47 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 250° at 12 kt | +12 kt | 2 °C | 108 kt | 3 h 04 min | 1:01 pm MDT (19:01 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 240° at 18 kt | +18 kt | 1 °C | 102 kt | 3 h 15 min | 1:12 pm MDT (19:12 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 240° at 22 kt | +22 kt | -2 °C | 98 kt | 3 h 23 min | 1:20 pm MDT (19:20 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 230° at 25 kt | +24 kt | -6 °C | 96 kt | 3 h 28 min | 1:25 pm MDT (19:25 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 230° at 28 kt | +27 kt | -10 °C | 93 kt | 3 h 34 min | 1:31 pm MDT (19:31 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 30 kt | +28 kt | -13 °C | 92 kt | 3 h 37 min | 1:34 pm MDT (19:34 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 220° at 34 kt | +32 kt | -26 °C | 88 kt | 3 h 46 min | 1:43 pm MDT (19:43 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 230° at 47 kt | +46 kt | -34 °C | 74 kt | 4 h 29 min | 2:26 pm MDT (20:26 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 230° at 52 kt | +50 kt | -38 °C | 70 kt | 4 h 45 min | 2:42 pm MDT (20:42 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 230° at 58 kt | +58 kt | -44 °C | 62 kt | 5 h 21 min | 3:18 pm MDT (21:18 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 12:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 18:00 UTC for use 14:00 to 21:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT | used from 0 nm out; 24 nm from the line | L/V 2° | 220/12 2° | 220/27 0° | 220/36 -12° | 230/33 -24° | 230/39 -34° | 230/50 -39° | 250/63 -46° | |
| DIK | used from 49 nm out; 58 nm from the line | 330/11 1° | 230/20 4° | 220/22 0° | 230/29 -12° | 240/27 -25° | 240/40 -34° | 230/49 -37° | 240/55 -44° | |
| MLS | used from 146 nm out; 50 nm from the line | 320/9 -2° | 270/14 0° | 260/22 -1° | 220/30 -14° | 210/43 -26° | 230/53 -34° | 230/54 -38° | 230/59 -44° | |
| BIL | used from 293 nm out; 20 nm from the line | L/V | 250/11 -1° | 240/20 -2° | 230/28 -15° | 220/28 -28° | 220/53 -34° | 220/55 -39° | 220/63 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT Minot, ND | departure | marginal VFR Sky: a few clouds at 400 feet, overcast at 2,000 feet Weather: light rain | from the north (350°) at 7 knots | 7 mi | 2,000 ft | 1,715 ft | 10:54 am CDT (15:54 UTC) |
| SDY Sidney, MT | 117 nm out, 19 nm northwest of the line | marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,000 feet | from the north-northeast (020°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | 1,000 ft | 1,985 ft | 15:43 UTC |
| GDV Glendive, MT | 156 nm out, 2 nm southwest of the line | IFR Sky: overcast at 600 feet Weather: mist | from the north-northeast (030°) at 7 knots | 4 mi | 600 ft | 2,458 ft | 15:12 UTC |
| MLS Miles City, MT | 215 nm out, 19 nm south of the line | IFR Sky: a broken layer at 900 feet, overcast at 1,800 feet | from the west-northwest (300°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | 900 ft | 2,634 ft | 15:45 UTC |
| BIL Billings, MT | destination | marginal VFR Sky: a few clouds at 500 feet, a broken layer at 1,200 feet | calm | 10+ mi | 1,200 ft | 3,662 ft | 9:53 am MDT (15:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 3,662 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At BIL when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:44 pm MDT (18:44 UTC)
Wind from the north-northwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, light rain snow, a broken layer at 1,200 feet, overcast at 2,200 feet marginal VFR
The whole forecast for BIL
- From Mon 6:00 am MDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, light rain snow, a broken layer at 1,200 feet, overcast at 2,200 feet
- From Mon 1:00 pm MDT (19:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 1,500 feet, overcast at 2,500 feet
- From Mon 6:00 pm MDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the east at 9 knots, visibility 6 miles, light drizzle, mist, a few clouds at 300 feet, overcast at 1,800 feet
- From Mon 10:00 pm MDT (04:00 UTC): wind from the east at 9 knots, visibility 4 miles, light drizzle, mist, scattered clouds at 300 feet, overcast at 1,200 feet
- From Tue 3:00 am MDT (09:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility 3 miles, light rain, mist, scattered clouds at 300 feet, a broken layer at 1,200 feet and more above
The forecast for MOT, the departure
- From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 12 knots, visibility 6 miles, light rain, mist, scattered clouds at 900 feet, overcast at 1,500 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 10 knots, visibility 3 miles, light rain, mist, overcast at 600 feet
- From Mon 3:00 pm CDT (20:00 UTC): wind from the north at 10 knots, visibility 4 miles, light rain, mist, overcast at 600 feet
- From Mon 5:00 pm CDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 600 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 MOT 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC), at BIL 6:32 pm MDT (00:32 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:02 pm MDT (01:02 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: Minot International, Billings Logan International.