General Downing - Peoria International to Denver International PIA → DEN
687 nautical miles (791 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 271°, about 273° magnetic at the departure end (variation 2W). At 120 knots that is 6 h 48 min at the quickest height in today's winds (10,500 ft, a 19-knot headwind), arriving about 8:52 am MDT (14:52 UTC). 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: 852 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 40 to 558 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the last 70 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 42,000 ft. Over the last 50 nm of the route.
- 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 last 0 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 PIA.
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 6 forecast points nearest it (BRL, DSM, OMA, GRI, GLD, 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 | 230° at 36 kt | +30 kt | 21 °C | 90 kt | 7 h 38 min | 9:42 am MDT (15:42 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 240° at 33 kt | +29 kt | 17 °C | 91 kt | 7 h 33 min | 9:37 am MDT (15:37 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 240° at 23 kt | +21 kt | 13 °C | 99 kt | 6 h 56 min | 9:00 am MDT (15:00 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 240° at 21 kt | +19 kt | 9 °C | 101 kt | 6 h 48 min | 8:52 am MDT (14:52 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 240° at 21 kt | +19 kt | 5 °C | 101 kt | 6 h 48 min | 8:52 am MDT (14:52 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 240° at 23 kt | +21 kt | 0 °C | 99 kt | 6 h 56 min | 9:00 am MDT (15:00 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 240° at 25 kt | +24 kt | -4 °C | 96 kt | 7 h 09 min | 9:13 am MDT (15:13 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 27 kt | +25 kt | -8 °C | 95 kt | 7 h 14 min | 9:18 am MDT (15:18 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 240° at 34 kt | +32 kt | -20 °C | 88 kt | 7 h 48 min | 9:52 am MDT (15:52 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 250° at 47 kt | +45 kt | -32 °C | 75 kt | 9 h 10 min | 11:14 am MDT (17:14 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 260° at 54 kt | +54 kt | -39 °C | 66 kt | 10 h 25 min | 12:29 pm MDT (18:29 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 260° at 57 kt | +57 kt | -49 °C | 63 kt | 10 h 54 min | 12:58 pm MDT (18:58 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRL | used from 0 nm out; 41 nm from the line | 230/24 | 240/29 15° | 290/16 10° | 280/15 4° | 260/23 -7° | 260/32 -19° | 260/36 -33° | 280/48 -41° | 280/59 -52° |
| DSM | used from 149 nm out; 54 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 249 nm out; 45 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° |
| GRI | used from 349 nm out; 36 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° | |
| GLD | used from 498 nm out; 58 nm from the line | 230/49 | 230/42 15° | 220/26 8° | 240/18 -7° | 230/27 -21° | 240/62 -30° | 240/61 -35° | 250/57 -47° | |
| DEN | used from 598 nm out; 65 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIA Peoria, IL | departure | no report just now | 660 ft | ||||
| CTK Canton, IL | 20 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 683 ft | ||||
| FSW Fort Madison, IA | 70 nm out, 5 nm west of the line | no report just now | 721 ft | ||||
| LWD Lamoni, IA | 189 nm out, 3 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,130 ft | ||||
| ICL Clarinda, IA | 239 nm out, 8 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 995 ft | ||||
| LNK Lincoln, NE | 319 nm out, 19 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,218 ft | ||||
| FMZ Fairmont, NE | 359 nm out, 6 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,636 ft | ||||
| CSB Cambridge, NE | 478 nm out, 0 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 2,414 ft | ||||
| MCK Mc Cook, NE | 498 nm out, 4 nm south of the line | no report just now | 2,582 ft | ||||
| RYA Wray, CO | 578 nm out, 4 nm east of the line | no report just now | 3,677 ft | ||||
| FMM Fort Morgan, CO | 647 nm out, 23 nm north of the line | no report just now | 4,595 ft | ||||
| DEN Denver, CO | destination | no report just now | 5,433 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 5,433 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At DEN when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:52 am MDT (14:52 UTC)
DEN has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8911 DENVER, CO, Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 8 nm from the route, at the destination end · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · today · ZDV
Daylight
Sunset at PIA 6:23 pm CDT (23:23 UTC), at DEN 6:22 pm MDT (00:22 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:49 pm MDT (00:49 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: General Downing - Peoria International, Denver International.