Dane County Rgnl/Truax Field to Idaho Falls Regional MSN → IDA
990 nautical miles (1,139 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 279°, about 282° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 8 h 55 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 9-knot headwind), arriving about 6:03 am MDT (12:03 UTC), after sunset at the destination. 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 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). Near the route, 198 nm along the route.
- 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 last 525 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the route from 604 to 911 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the route from 693 to 960 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 723 to 931 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the last 238 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the last 218 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 MSN.
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 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 8 forecast points nearest it (DBQ, LSE, MCW, FSD, PIR, RAP, LND, PIH). 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 | 210° at 21 kt | +9 kt | 15 °C | 111 kt | 8 h 55 min | 6:03 am MDT (12:03 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 210° at 21 kt | +11 kt | 15 °C | 109 kt | 9 h 05 min | 6:13 am MDT (12:13 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 210° at 22 kt | +11 kt | 11 °C | 109 kt | 9 h 05 min | 6:13 am MDT (12:13 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 220° at 23 kt | +14 kt | 8 °C | 106 kt | 9 h 20 min | 6:28 am MDT (12:28 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 220° at 25 kt | +17 kt | 3 °C | 103 kt | 9 h 37 min | 6:45 am MDT (12:45 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 230° at 25 kt | +19 kt | -1 °C | 101 kt | 9 h 48 min | 6:56 am MDT (12:56 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 230° at 26 kt | +20 kt | -6 °C | 100 kt | 9 h 54 min | 7:02 am MDT (13:02 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 26 kt | +22 kt | -10 °C | 98 kt | 10 h 06 min | 7:14 am MDT (13:14 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 240° at 33 kt | +28 kt | -21 °C | 92 kt | 10 h 46 min | 7:54 am MDT (13:54 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 240° at 42 kt | +35 kt | -34 °C | 85 kt | 11 h 39 min | 8:47 am MDT (14:47 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 250° at 50 kt | +46 kt | -40 °C | 74 kt | 13 h 23 min | 10:31 am MDT (16:31 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 250° at 57 kt | +55 kt | -47 °C | 65 kt | 15 h 14 min | 12:22 pm MDT (18:22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DBQ | used from 0 nm out; 60 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° |
| LSE | used from 50 nm out; 35 nm from the line | 230/40 | 240/24 17° | 240/13 10° | 250/13 6° | 280/22 -9° | 250/28 -21° | 250/41 -34° | 260/42 -44° | 270/62 -53° |
| MCW | used from 149 nm out; 22 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° |
| FSD | used from 248 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 190/9 | 230/30 18° | 240/23 13° | 240/20 6° | 260/22 -9° | 250/31 -21° | 250/43 -36° | 260/49 -43° | 270/53 -47° |
| PIR | used from 396 nm out; 66 nm from the line | 170/22 19° | 190/25 13° | 210/32 6° | 240/23 -9° | 250/32 -21° | 250/38 -36° | 260/44 -40° | 260/52 -47° | |
| RAP | used from 545 nm out; 30 nm from the line | 180/23 12° | 200/38 13° | 210/38 6° | 220/28 -10° | 230/34 -21° | 230/37 -36° | 250/52 -38° | 250/59 -46° | |
| LND | used from 743 nm out; 98 nm from the line | 200/23 6° | 220/31 1° | 220/39 -11° | 230/39 -23° | 220/51 -28° | 220/66 -37° | 230/68 -45° | ||
| PIH | used from 941 nm out; 62 nm from the line | L/V | 240/13 1° | 240/15 -3° | 210/42 -15° | 200/70 -25° | 220/74 -29° | 220/71 -36° | 220/62 -43° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSN Madison, WI | departure | no report just now | 886 ft | ||||
| LNR Lone Rock, WI | 40 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 717 ft | ||||
| CJJ Cresco, IA | 119 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,279 ft | ||||
| SBU Blue Earth, MN | 208 nm out, 1 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,107 ft | ||||
| FSD Sioux Falls, SD | 327 nm out, 11 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,430 ft | ||||
| RAP Rapid City, SD | 594 nm out, 9 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 3,203 ft | ||||
| ECS Newcastle, WY | 653 nm out, 1 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 4,177 ft | ||||
| HSG Thermopolis, WY | 832 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 4,891 ft | ||||
| JAC Jackson, WY | 931 nm out, 1 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 6,451 ft | ||||
| IDA Idaho Falls, ID | destination | no report just now | 4,743 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 6,451 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At IDA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:03 am MDT (12:03 UTC)
IDA 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 MSN 6:19 pm CDT (23:19 UTC), at IDA 6:50 pm MDT (00:50 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:19 pm MDT (01:19 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at IDA is before sunrise there (7:38 am MDT (13:38 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: Dane County Rgnl/Truax Field, Idaho Falls Regional.