Savannah/Hilton Head International to Des Moines International SAV → DSM
822 nautical miles (945 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 317°, about 323° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6W). At 120 knots that is 7 h 32 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 11-knot headwind), arriving about 5:11 pm CDT (22:11 UTC). 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 TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 6,000 ft. Over the route from 188 to 228 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 SAV.
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 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 (SAV, ATL, TYS, BNA, EVV, STL, BRL, 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 | 270° at 14 kt | +11 kt | 109 kt | 7 h 32 min | 5:11 pm CDT (22:11 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 270° at 14 kt | +11 kt | 15 °C | 109 kt | 7 h 32 min | 5:11 pm CDT (22:11 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 280° at 17 kt | +14 kt | 12 °C | 106 kt | 7 h 45 min | 5:24 pm CDT (22:24 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 280° at 20 kt | +17 kt | 8 °C | 103 kt | 7 h 59 min | 5:38 pm CDT (22:38 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 280° at 22 kt | +19 kt | 5 °C | 101 kt | 8 h 08 min | 5:47 pm CDT (22:47 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 280° at 22 kt | +20 kt | 1 °C | 100 kt | 8 h 13 min | 5:52 pm CDT (22:52 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 280° at 22 kt | +20 kt | -3 °C | 100 kt | 8 h 13 min | 5:52 pm CDT (22:52 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 280° at 22 kt | +20 kt | -6 °C | 100 kt | 8 h 13 min | 5:52 pm CDT (22:52 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 28 kt | +25 kt | -19 °C | 95 kt | 8 h 39 min | 6:18 pm CDT (23:18 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 300° at 43 kt | +42 kt | -32 °C | 78 kt | 10 h 32 min | 8:11 pm CDT (01:11 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 300° at 51 kt | +50 kt | -39 °C | 70 kt | 11 h 45 min | 9:24 pm CDT (02:24 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 300° at 47 kt | +47 kt | -49 °C | 73 kt | 11 h 16 min | 8:55 pm CDT (01:55 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAV | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 340/14 | 330/21 16° | 340/26 12° | 350/25 8° | 360/28 -6° | 360/29 -19° | 360/36 -31° | 360/27 -42° | 330/31 -51° |
| ATL | used from 99 nm out; 77 nm from the line | 340/24 | 350/18 17° | 330/15 11° | 320/20 6° | 310/16 -4° | 300/18 -18° | 320/28 -32° | 330/43 -40° | 340/35 -51° |
| TYS | used from 198 nm out; 62 nm from the line | 320/8 | 330/17 16° | 320/17 9° | 310/24 6° | 290/23 -6° | 290/28 -19° | 300/36 -33° | 310/48 -40° | 320/46 -50° |
| BNA | used from 297 nm out; 47 nm from the line | 270/14 | 270/10 14° | 280/19 11° | 280/26 6° | 280/25 -6° | 280/31 -18° | 300/44 -32° | 300/53 -40° | 310/51 -49° |
| EVV | used from 396 nm out; 58 nm from the line | 270/15 | 250/15 14° | 260/24 11° | 270/28 6° | 280/30 -7° | 280/34 -18° | 290/48 -33° | 290/59 -38° | 300/56 -48° |
| STL | used from 544 nm out; 41 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° |
| BRL | used from 643 nm out; 54 nm from the line | 240/28 | 240/25 18° | 250/26 12° | 260/29 5° | 260/24 -8° | 270/36 -20° | 280/57 -33° | 290/65 -37° | 290/54 -46° |
| DSM | used from 742 nm out; 54 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAV Savannah, GA | departure | no report just now | 50 ft | ||||
| AGS Augusta, GA | 79 nm out, 23 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 145 ft | ||||
| AHN Athens, GA | 148 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 812 ft | ||||
| LZU Lawrenceville, GA | 178 nm out, 23 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,061 ft | ||||
| CHA Chattanooga, TN | 267 nm out, 22 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 682 ft | ||||
| XNX Gallatin, TN | 366 nm out, 6 nm south of the line | no report just now | 583 ft | ||||
| TWT Sturgis, KY | 465 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 372 ft | ||||
| BLV Belleville, IL | 574 nm out, 22 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 459 ft | ||||
| ALN Alton/St Louis, IL | 594 nm out, 13 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 543 ft | ||||
| UIN Quincy, IL | 673 nm out, 1 nm west of the line | no report just now | 768 ft | ||||
| OXV Knoxville, IA | 792 nm out, 5 nm north of the line | no report just now | 928 ft | ||||
| DSM Des Moines, IA | destination | no report just now | 957 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,061 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, 5:11 pm CDT (22:11 UTC)
DSM has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/0708 Goodlettsville, TN, Saturday, August 1, 2026 through Sunday, August 1, 2027 UTC 16 nm from the route, 376 nm along the route · security · until 1 August · ZME
Daylight
Sunset at SAV 6:56 pm EDT (22:56 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
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: Savannah/Hilton Head International, Des Moines International.