Rifle Garfield County to Dallas-Fort Worth International RIL → DFW
652 nautical miles (751 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 124°, about 114° magnetic at the departure end (variation 10E). At 120 knots that is 4 h 21 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 30-knot tailwind), arriving about 1:31 am CDT (06:31 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
- SIGMET 6W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 34,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 9:55 pm MDT (03:55 UTC). Over the route from 89 to 237 nm out.
as issued
WSUS33 KKCI 120155 MKCW WST 120155 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 6W VALID UNTIL 0355Z CO NM FROM 50SSW DEN-30NNE TBE-50SSW CME-50E SJN-20NE DVC-50SSW DEN AREA TS MOV FROM 23040KT. TOPS TO FL340.
- 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 first 128 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the first 208 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 257 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 40 to 138 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, 257 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 RIL.
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 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 7 forecast points nearest it (GJT, ALS, PUB, TCC, AMA, SPS, DAL). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,500 ft | 190° at 26 kt | +11 kt | 109 kt | 5 h 59 min | 3:09 am CDT (08:09 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 210° at 25 kt | +4 kt | 14 °C | 116 kt | 5 h 37 min | 2:47 am CDT (07:47 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 220° at 25 kt | +1 kt | 13 °C | 119 kt | 5 h 29 min | 2:39 am CDT (07:39 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 220° at 26 kt | 0 | 8 °C | 120 kt | 5 h 26 min | 2:36 am CDT (07:36 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 220° at 28 kt | −2 kt | 4 °C | 122 kt | 5 h 21 min | 2:31 am CDT (07:31 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 230° at 30 kt | −5 kt | -1 °C | 125 kt | 5 h 13 min | 2:23 am CDT (07:23 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 230° at 32 kt | −7 kt | -6 °C | 127 kt | 5 h 08 min | 2:18 am CDT (07:18 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 33 kt | −8 kt | -7 °C | 128 kt | 5 h 06 min | 2:16 am CDT (07:16 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 37 kt | −11 kt | -18 °C | 131 kt | 4 h 59 min | 2:09 am CDT (07:09 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 240° at 54 kt | −23 kt | -29 °C | 143 kt | 4 h 34 min | 1:44 am CDT (06:44 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 250° at 54 kt | −29 kt | -37 °C | 149 kt | 4 h 23 min | 1:33 am CDT (06:33 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 260° at 46 kt | −30 kt | -49 °C | 150 kt | 4 h 21 min | 1:31 am CDT (06:31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GJT | used from 0 nm out; 58 nm from the line | 210/40 11° | 210/46 3° | 210/61 -10° | 210/68 -22° | 220/57 -29° | 230/59 -36° | 240/66 -46° | ||
| ALS | used from 49 nm out; 87 nm from the line | 210/32 5° | 230/48 -8° | 230/49 -20° | 230/78 -30° | 240/74 -36° | 240/61 -47° | |||
| PUB | used from 99 nm out; 50 nm from the line | 210/24 16° | 210/28 8° | 230/43 -8° | 240/42 -21° | 240/77 -30° | 240/72 -36° | 250/51 -47° | ||
| TCC | used from 247 nm out; 105 nm from the line | 200/26 | 200/28 14° | 220/25 7° | 230/28 -7° | 240/41 -19° | 240/62 -28° | 250/61 -37° | 250/49 -49° | |
| AMA | used from 297 nm out; 74 nm from the line | 190/28 | 220/26 14° | 230/27 7° | 250/24 -6° | 250/32 -16° | 240/51 -28° | 250/52 -38° | 250/51 -50° | |
| SPS | used from 445 nm out; 85 nm from the line | 180/26 | 200/25 16° | 220/19 13° | 220/20 9° | 230/26 -5° | 230/34 -15° | 260/37 -28° | 270/42 -39° | 280/40 -51° |
| DAL | used from 593 nm out; 44 nm from the line | 180/21 | 190/24 15° | 230/20 12° | 220/23 8° | 240/22 -5° | 230/18 -15° | 280/33 -29° | 280/36 -39° | 300/33 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIL Rifle, CO | departure | no report just now | 5,536 ft | ||||
| ASE Aspen, CO | 40 nm out, 8 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 7,837 ft | ||||
| ANK Salida, CO | 99 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 7,523 ft | ||||
| TAD Trinidad, CO | 208 nm out, 19 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 5,761 ft | ||||
| CAO Clayton, NM | 287 nm out, 24 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 4,969 ft | ||||
| BGD Borger, TX | 376 nm out, 8 nm south of the line | no report just now | 3,055 ft | ||||
| PPA Pampa, TX | 395 nm out, 2 nm east of the line | no report just now | 3,245 ft | ||||
| AXS Altus, OK | 494 nm out, 9 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 1,433 ft | ||||
| SPS Wichita Falls, TX | 554 nm out, 3 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,019 ft | ||||
| DTO Denton, TX | 633 nm out, 9 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 642 ft | ||||
| DFW Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | destination | no report just now | 606 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 7,837 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At DFW when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:31 am CDT (06:31 UTC)
DFW has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 9/2934 DALLAS, TX 11 nm from the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · ZFW
- 6/8646 Arlington, TX, Thursday, October 15, 2026 through Friday, October 16, 2026 UTC 8 nm from the route, at the destination end · drones kept away from a public gathering · starts Thursday 15 October · ZFW
Daylight
Sunset at RIL 6:36 pm MDT (00:36 UTC), at DFW 6:58 pm CDT (23:58 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:23 pm CDT (00:23 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at DFW is before sunrise there (7:29 am CDT (12:29 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: Rifle Garfield County, Dallas-Fort Worth International.