Rapid City Regional to Portland International RAP → PDX
835 nautical miles (961 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 283°, about 275° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 6 h 17 min at the quickest height in today's winds (6,500 ft, a 13-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:07 am PDT (07:07 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: 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
- SIGMET W70W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 32,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 7:55 pm MDT (01:55 UTC). Over the route from 119 to 259 nm out.
as issued
WSUS33 KKCI 112355 MKCW WST 112355 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 70W VALID UNTIL 0155Z MT WY FROM 30SSW MLS-60WNW BFF-40SSE OCS-10S BPI-10S BIL-30SSW MLS AREA TS MOV FROM 22040KT. TOPS TO FL320.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the first 587 nm of 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 route from 129 to 517 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the route from 149 to 368 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 169 to 338 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 179 to 696 nm out.
- AIRMET ZULU 3C: moderate icing up to 22,000 ft. Near the route, 368 nm along the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 14,000 ft. Over the route from 517 to 766 nm out.
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 7 forecast points nearest it (RAP, MLS, BIL, DLN, LWS, YKM, PDX). 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 | 070° at 13 kt | −12 kt | 10 °C | 132 kt | 6 h 20 min | 12:10 am PDT (07:10 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 070° at 13 kt | −13 kt | 1 °C | 133 kt | 6 h 17 min | 12:07 am PDT (07:07 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 080° at 10 kt | −10 kt | -2 °C | 130 kt | 6 h 25 min | 12:15 am PDT (07:15 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 140° at 6 kt | −6 kt | -3 °C | 126 kt | 6 h 38 min | 12:28 am PDT (07:28 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 180° at 11 kt | −2 kt | -6 °C | 122 kt | 6 h 51 min | 12:41 am PDT (07:41 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 190° at 13 kt | +1 kt | -9 °C | 119 kt | 7 h 01 min | 12:51 am PDT (07:51 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 200° at 16 kt | +3 kt | -13 °C | 117 kt | 7 h 08 min | 12:58 am PDT (07:58 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 210° at 18 kt | +4 kt | -16 °C | 116 kt | 7 h 12 min | 1:02 am PDT (08:02 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 220° at 32 kt | +15 kt | -24 °C | 105 kt | 7 h 57 min | 1:47 am PDT (08:47 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 210° at 38 kt | +13 kt | -36 °C | 107 kt | 7 h 48 min | 1:38 am PDT (08:38 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 230° at 48 kt | +29 kt | -40 °C | 91 kt | 9 h 11 min | 3:01 am PDT (10:01 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 240° at 51 kt | +39 kt | -44 °C | 81 kt | 10 h 19 min | 4:09 am PDT (11:09 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; 25 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° | |
| MLS | used from 99 nm out; 117 nm from the line | 120/22 5° | 170/18 4° | 200/33 1° | 230/49 -10° | 230/58 -21° | 220/54 -37° | 230/64 -44° | 250/74 -49° | |
| BIL | used from 149 nm out; 95 nm from the line | 080/24 | 130/14 -1° | 180/33 0° | 210/43 -10° | 220/58 -21° | 200/55 -36° | 220/75 -44° | 240/83 -48° | |
| DLN | used from 298 nm out; 89 nm from the line | 080/10 -3° | 180/8 -3° | 180/23 -14° | 200/58 -22° | 200/80 -36° | 220/85 -41° | 230/81 -45° | ||
| LWS | used from 497 nm out; 97 nm from the line | 010/5 | 050/14 -2° | 040/12 -6° | 160/7 -10° | 190/30 -22° | 200/54 -27° | 200/48 -35° | 210/40 -37° | 230/32 -41° |
| YKM | used from 696 nm out; 66 nm from the line | 030/16 | 020/18 0° | 030/30 -8° | 030/23 -13° | 020/40 -23° | 010/73 -29° | 010/54 -36° | 360/29 -37° | 330/16 -40° |
| PDX | used from 795 nm out; 20 nm from the line | 330/7 | 360/13 0° | 040/22 -6° | 030/23 -12° | 020/64 -18° | 010/93 -25° | 010/91 -39° | 360/62 -40° | 350/41 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAP Rapid City, SD | departure | no report just now | 3,203 ft | ||||
| SPF Spearfish, SD | 40 nm out, 19 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 3,933 ft | ||||
| GCC Gillette, WY | 109 nm out, 5 nm south of the line | no report just now | 4,365 ft | ||||
| POY Powell, WY | 249 nm out, 2 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 5,096 ft | ||||
| RED Red Lodge, MT | 268 nm out, 17 nm north of the line | no report just now | 5,762 ft | ||||
| DLN Dillon, MT | 408 nm out, 4 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 5,244 ft | ||||
| SMN Salmon, ID | 467 nm out, 12 nm south of the line | no report just now | 4,044 ft | ||||
| JSY Joseph, OR | 607 nm out, 9 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 4,126 ft | ||||
| PDT Pendleton, OR | 676 nm out, 9 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,494 ft | ||||
| DLS The Dalles, OR | 776 nm out, 2 nm north of the line | no report just now | 246 ft | ||||
| PDX Portland, OR | destination | no report just now | 30 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 5,762 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At PDX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:07 am PDT (07:07 UTC)
PDX 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 PDX 6:30 pm PDT (01:30 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:00 pm PDT (02:00 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at PDX is before sunrise there (7:22 am PDT (14:22 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, Portland International.