Rapid City Regional to Dane County Rgnl/Truax Field RAP → MSN
598 nautical miles (689 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 090°, about 082° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 3 h 25 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 55-knot tailwind), arriving about 1:33 am CDT (06:33 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 SIERRA 4E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 20 to 140 nm out.
- 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, 399 nm along 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 02:00–09:00 UTC · at 120 knots true airspeed
The eastbound cruising heights for this course (VFR: odd 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 (RAP, PIR, FSD, MCW, LSE, DBQ). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,500 ft | 220° at 28 kt | −17 kt | 137 kt | 4 h 22 min | 2:30 am CDT (07:30 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 220° at 23 kt | −13 kt | 17 °C | 133 kt | 4 h 30 min | 2:38 am CDT (07:38 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 220° at 21 kt | −13 kt | 15 °C | 133 kt | 4 h 30 min | 2:38 am CDT (07:38 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 220° at 19 kt | −12 kt | 11 °C | 132 kt | 4 h 32 min | 2:40 am CDT (07:40 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 230° at 21 kt | −14 kt | 7 °C | 134 kt | 4 h 28 min | 2:36 am CDT (07:36 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 230° at 21 kt | −16 kt | 2 °C | 136 kt | 4 h 24 min | 2:32 am CDT (07:32 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 240° at 21 kt | −18 kt | -3 °C | 138 kt | 4 h 20 min | 2:28 am CDT (07:28 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 250° at 21 kt | −20 kt | -8 °C | 140 kt | 4 h 16 min | 2:24 am CDT (07:24 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 22 kt | −20 kt | -9 °C | 140 kt | 4 h 16 min | 2:24 am CDT (07:24 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 250° at 30 kt | −27 kt | -21 °C | 147 kt | 4 h 04 min | 2:12 am CDT (07:12 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 250° at 39 kt | −35 kt | -35 °C | 155 kt | 3 h 51 min | 1:59 am CDT (06:59 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 260° at 47 kt | −45 kt | -42 °C | 165 kt | 3 h 37 min | 1:45 am CDT (06:45 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 270° at 56 kt | −55 kt | -49 °C | 175 kt | 3 h 25 min | 1:33 am CDT (06:33 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAP | used from 0 nm out; 25 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° | |
| PIR | used from 50 nm out; 50 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° | |
| FSD | used from 199 nm out; 52 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° |
| MCW | used from 349 nm out; 57 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° |
| LSE | used from 449 nm out; 46 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° |
| DBQ | used from 549 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° |
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 | no report just now | 3,203 ft | ||||
| PHP Philip, SD | 60 nm out, 3 nm east of the line | no report just now | 2,209 ft | ||||
| PIR Pierre, SD | 120 nm out, 23 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,744 ft | ||||
| MHE Mitchell, SD | 219 nm out, 8 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,304 ft | ||||
| FSD Sioux Falls, SD | 279 nm out, 16 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,430 ft | ||||
| MJQ Jackson, MN | 349 nm out, 4 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,445 ft | ||||
| SBU Blue Earth, MN | 389 nm out, 3 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,107 ft | ||||
| RST Rochester, MN | 459 nm out, 25 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,317 ft | ||||
| CJJ Cresco, IA | 479 nm out, 7 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,279 ft | ||||
| LNR Lone Rock, WI | 558 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 717 ft | ||||
| MSN Madison, WI | destination | no report just now | 886 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 3,203 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MSN when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:33 am CDT (06:33 UTC)
MSN 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 RAP 6:13 pm MDT (00:13 UTC), at MSN 6:19 pm CDT (23:19 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:48 pm CDT (23:48 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at MSN is before sunrise there (7:07 am CDT (12:07 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, Dane County Rgnl/Truax Field.