Plan a flight · Mon 10:23 am CDT (15:23 UTC)

Pensacola International to Des Moines International PNS → DSM

734 nautical miles (845 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 337°, about 339° magnetic at the departure end (variation 2W). At 120 knots that is 6 h 07 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, no wind along the track), arriving about 4:30 pm CDT (21:30 UTC). Right now PNS is VFR, wind from the north (350°) at 9 knots; DSM is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (210°) at 13 knots, gusting to 21. 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 TANGO 2W: 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 189 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 PNS.

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

BE33 at 4,500 ft, 48 nm west, 8:05 am CDT (13:05 UTC): clear from 4,500 ft to 60,000 ft, remarks: ZME65. 278 nm along the route, 48 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
UTA UA /OV UTA180015/TM 1305/FL045/TP BE33/SK SKC/RM ZME65
```
Report
a routine report filed through UTA
Where
15 nm south (180°) of UTA
Time
13:05 UTC
Height
at 4,500 ft
Aircraft
BE33
Sky
clear
Remarks
ZME65

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 8 forecast points nearest it (MOB, MGM, JAN, MEM, CGI, STL, COU, DSM). 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	240° at 17 kt	0		120 kt	6 h 07 min	4:30 pm CDT (21:30 UTC)
6,500 ft	250° at 18 kt	+1 kt	16 °C	119 kt	6 h 10 min	4:33 pm CDT (21:33 UTC)
8,500 ft	250° at 17 kt	+1 kt	12 °C	119 kt	6 h 10 min	4:33 pm CDT (21:33 UTC)
10,500 ft	250° at 18 kt	+3 kt	9 °C	117 kt	6 h 16 min	4:39 pm CDT (21:39 UTC)
12,500 ft	260° at 20 kt	+5 kt	5 °C	115 kt	6 h 23 min	4:46 pm CDT (21:46 UTC)
14,500 ft	260° at 20 kt	+7 kt	1 °C	113 kt	6 h 30 min	4:53 pm CDT (21:53 UTC)
16,500 ft	270° at 21 kt	+9 kt	-3 °C	111 kt	6 h 37 min	5:00 pm CDT (22:00 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	270° at 22 kt	+10 kt	-6 °C	110 kt	6 h 40 min	5:03 pm CDT (22:03 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	270° at 27 kt	+11 kt	-17 °C	109 kt	6 h 44 min	5:07 pm CDT (22:07 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	300° at 49 kt	+41 kt	-30 °C	79 kt	9 h 17 min	7:40 pm CDT (00:40 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	300° at 52 kt	+44 kt	-38 °C	76 kt	9 h 39 min	8:02 pm CDT (01:02 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	310° at 44 kt	+39 kt	-49 °C	81 kt	9 h 04 min	7:27 pm CDT (00:27 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
MOB	used from 0 nm out; 46 nm from the line	L/V	L/V 18°	L/V 11°	300/9 6°	330/12 -4°	330/12 -16°	340/28 -30°	340/36 -40°	360/34 -51°
MGM	used from 99 nm out; 90 nm from the line	350/14	320/18 17°	320/17 11°	300/14 5°	330/13 -5°	310/12 -17°	330/29 -30°	340/40 -40°	350/32 -50°
JAN	used from 149 nm out; 90 nm from the line	210/8	230/13 18°	240/10 11°	260/11 6°	280/16 -5°	260/12 -15°	330/34 -30°	320/39 -40°	340/34 -51°
MEM	used from 198 nm out; 86 nm from the line	240/14	260/23 16°	250/22 11°	250/20 7°	270/24 -6°	270/27 -16°	310/49 -30°	310/46 -39°	320/43 -50°
CGI	used from 397 nm out; 57 nm from the line	250/22	250/17 15°	250/25 11°	260/27 7°	270/35 -7°	280/38 -17°	300/63 -31°	300/62 -38°	300/55 -49°
STL	used from 447 nm out; 77 nm from the line	240/25	240/21 15°	260/21 12°	270/21 7°	280/25 -7°	280/39 -19°	290/65 -31°	290/70 -38°	290/59 -48°
COU	used from 496 nm out; 41 nm from the line	240/28	240/22 17°	250/18 12°	260/22 6°	270/23 -7°	260/39 -19°	290/70 -30°	290/71 -37°	290/58 -48°
DSM	used from 645 nm out; 64 nm from the line	230/34	230/32 20°	220/33 12°	240/35 5°	250/39 -7°	250/43 -21°	280/61 -31°	280/73 -37°	280/67 -47°

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
PNS Pensacola, FL	departure	VFR	from the north (350°) at 9 knots	10+ mi	none	120 ft	9:53 am CDT (14:53 UTC)
MVC Monroeville, AL	60 nm out, 16 nm east of the line	no report just now				419 ft
DYA Demopolis, AL	129 nm out, 13 nm east of the line	VFR	from the north-northeast (020°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	none	111 ft	15:15 UTC
GTR Columbus/W Point/Starkville, MS	189 nm out, 8 nm northeast of the line, tower	VFR	variable at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	264 ft	14:56 UTC
TUP Tupelo, MS	238 nm out, 19 nm northeast of the line, tower	VFR	from the west-southwest (240°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	346 ft	14:53 UTC
NQA Millington, TN	327 nm out, 6 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	from the southwest (230°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	322 ft	15:50 UTC
PYN Piedmont, MO	437 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line	no report just now				466 ft
UBX Cuba, MO	506 nm out, 4 nm south of the line	no report just now				1,023 ft
COU Columbia, MO	556 nm out, 15 nm west of the line, tower	VFR	from the southwest (220°) at 15 knots, gusting to 21	10+ mi	none	889 ft	14:54 UTC
MBY Moberly, MO	595 nm out, 6 nm west of the line	VFR	from the south-southwest (210°) at 13 knots, gusting to 18	10+ mi	none	866 ft	15:15 UTC
CNC Chariton, IA	704 nm out, 4 nm south of the line	VFR	from the south-southwest (200°) at 17 knots, gusting to 24	10+ mi	none	1,050 ft	15:15 UTC
DSM Des Moines, IA	destination	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 feet, a few clouds at 20,000 feet, a broken layer at 25,000 feet	from the south-southwest (210°) at 13 knots, gusting to 21	10+ mi	25,000 ft	957 ft	9:54 am CDT (14:54 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,050 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At DSM when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 4:30 pm CDT (21:30 UTC)

Wind from the south-southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 10,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for DSM

From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, scattered clouds at 10,000 feet
From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 10,000 feet
From Tue 12:00 am CDT (05:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 20,000 feet

The forecast for PNS, the departure

From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the north at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
From Mon 1:00 pm CDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies

Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it

6/7634 CENTRALIA, MO, Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 2 nm from the route, 575 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · today · ZKC

Daylight

Sunset at PNS 6:21 pm CDT (23:21 UTC), at DSM 6:38 pm CDT (23:38 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:06 pm CDT (00:06 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 Southeast · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · 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: Pensacola International, Des Moines International.