Rapid City Regional to Casper/Natrona County International RAP → CPR
163 nautical miles (188 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 246°, about 238° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 1 h 15 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 10-knot tailwind), arriving about 8:17 pm MDT (02:17 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now RAP is IFR, wind from the northeast (050°) at 8 knots; CPR is VFR, wind from the northwest (310°) at 6 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: 5 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 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the whole route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the last 48 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the last 19 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 10 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 RAP.
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 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 3 forecast points nearest it (RAP, BFF, LND). 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 | 120° at 18 kt | −10 kt | 12 °C | 130 kt | 1 h 15 min | 8:17 pm MDT (02:17 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 130° at 17 kt | −7 kt | 12 °C | 127 kt | 1 h 17 min | 8:19 pm MDT (02:19 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 170° at 24 kt | +8 kt | 11 °C | 112 kt | 1 h 27 min | 8:29 pm MDT (02:29 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 200° at 26 kt | +17 kt | 8 °C | 103 kt | 1 h 35 min | 8:37 pm MDT (02:37 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 210° at 29 kt | +24 kt | 4 °C | 96 kt | 1 h 42 min | 8:44 pm MDT (02:44 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 220° at 31 kt | +27 kt | -1 °C | 93 kt | 1 h 45 min | 8:47 pm MDT (02:47 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 220° at 33 kt | +30 kt | -5 °C | 90 kt | 1 h 49 min | 8:51 pm MDT (02:51 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 35 kt | +33 kt | -8 °C | 87 kt | 1 h 52 min | 8:54 pm MDT (02:54 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 40 kt | +40 kt | -21 °C | 80 kt | 2 h 02 min | 9:04 pm MDT (03:04 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 230° at 48 kt | +47 kt | -36 °C | 73 kt | 2 h 14 min | 9:16 pm MDT (03:16 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 240° at 53 kt | +53 kt | -41 °C | 67 kt | 2 h 26 min | 9:28 pm MDT (03:28 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 250° at 51 kt | +51 kt | -46 °C | 69 kt | 2 h 22 min | 9:24 pm MDT (03:24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAP | used from 0 nm out; 24 nm from the line | 120/15 12° | 180/22 11° | 220/26 5° | 230/35 -9° | 240/40 -22° | 240/50 -37° | 240/51 -41° | 240/47 -47° | |
| BFF | used from 96 nm out; 119 nm from the line | 120/24 | 180/31 13° | 210/26 7° | 230/25 -7° | 240/41 -20° | 230/52 -36° | 250/56 -41° | 260/57 -45° | |
| LND | used from 144 nm out; 109 nm from the line | 180/33 10° | 190/50 3° | 210/59 -9° | 200/50 -21° | 190/41 -34° | 230/55 -39° | 240/65 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAP Rapid City, SD | departure | IFR Sky: a broken layer at 900 feet, overcast at 2,000 feet | from the northeast (050°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | 900 ft | 3,203 ft | 6:52 pm MDT (00:52 UTC) |
| CUT Custer, SD | 29 nm out, 7 nm south of the line | VFR | from the east-northeast (070°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | none | 5,619 ft | 00:53 UTC |
| ECS Newcastle, WY | 58 nm out, 14 nm north of the line | VFR Sky: overcast at 10,000 feet | from the south-southeast (150°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | 10,000 ft | 4,177 ft | 00:55 UTC |
| CPR Casper, WY | destination | VFR Sky: overcast at 10,000 feet | from the northwest (310°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | 10,000 ft | 5,344 ft | 6:53 pm MDT (00:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 5,619 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At CPR when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:17 pm MDT (02:17 UTC)
Wind from the east-northeast at 12 knots, gusting to 18, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 4,000 feet, overcast at 8,000 feet VFR
At times between Sun 6:00 pm MDT (00:00 UTC) and 10:00 pm MDT (04:00 UTC): visibility 5 miles, light rain, a broken layer at 3,000 feet marginal VFR
The whole forecast for CPR
- From Sun 6:00 pm MDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the east-northeast at 12 knots, gusting to 18, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 4,000 feet, overcast at 8,000 feet
- At times between Sun 6:00 pm MDT (00:00 UTC) and 10:00 pm MDT (04:00 UTC): visibility 5 miles, light rain, a broken layer at 3,000 feet
- From Sun 10:00 pm MDT (04:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 22, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 10,000 feet
- 30% chance between Sun 10:00 pm MDT (04:00 UTC) and 4:00 am MDT (10:00 UTC): visibility 5 miles, light rain, a broken layer at 3,000 feet
- From Mon 12:00 pm MDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the west at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 5,000 feet, a broken layer at 15,000 feet
The forecast for RAP, the departure
- From Sun 6:00 pm MDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the east at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 1,500 feet
- From Sun 10:00 pm MDT (04:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 10 knots, gusting to 20, visibility 4 miles, mist, a broken layer at 800 feet
- 30% chance between Sun 10:00 pm MDT (04:00 UTC) and 2:00 am MDT (08:00 UTC): light rain showers, scattered clouds at 800 feet, a broken layer at 1,500 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am MDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 20 knots, gusting to 30, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 1,500 feet, scattered clouds at 3,500 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 RAP 6:13 pm MDT (00:13 UTC), at CPR 6:28 pm MDT (00:28 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:56 pm MDT (00:56 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at CPR is after sunset there (6:30 pm MDT (00:30 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: Rapid City Regional, Casper/Natrona County International.