Plan a flight · Mon 8:58 am CDT (13:58 UTC)

Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport to Missoula Montana Airport SPI → MSO

1,141 nautical miles (1,313 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 300°, about 301° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1W). At 120 knots that is 10 h 34 min at the quickest height in today's winds (8,500 ft, a 12-knot headwind), arriving about 6:32 pm MDT (00:32 UTC). Right now SPI is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (200°) at 7 knots; MSO is VFR, wind from the north (350°) at 3 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: 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 397 to 1101 nm out.
AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 843 to 893 nm out.
AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the last 268 nm of the route.
AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 18,000 ft. Over the last 238 nm of the route.
AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. 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 SPI.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

B38M at 32,000 ft, 42 nm north, 6:45 am CDT (11:45 UTC): light chop turbulence. 317 nm along the route, 42 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
FOD UA /OV FOD285060/TM 1145/FL320/TP B38M/TB CONS LGT CHOP OCNL MOD CHOP
```
Report
a routine report filed through FOD
Where
60 nm west (285°) of FOD
Time
11:45 UTC
Height
at 32,000 ft
Aircraft
B38M
Turbulence
continuous light chop occasional moderate chop
SF50 at 4,000 ft, 37 nm north, 8:47 am CDT (13:47 UTC): no turbulence, no icing. 536 nm along the route, 37 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
PIR UA /OV PIR/TM 1347/FL040/TP SF50/SK BASE008-TOP040/TB NEG/IC NEG
```
Report
a routine report filed through PIR
Where
over PIR
Time
13:47 UTC
Height
at 4,000 ft
Aircraft
SF50
Sky
BASE008-TOP040
Turbulence
none
Icing
none
C25A at 5,000 ft, 6 nm southwest, 8:00 am CDT (13:00 UTC): light rime icing, 4 °C, remarks: lt rime in the descent. 903 nm along the route, 6 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
BIL UA /OV 100006/TM 1300/FL050/TP C25A/TA 4/IC LT RIME/RM LT RIME IN THE DESCENT
```
Report
a routine report filed through BIL
Where
wind from 100° at 6 knots
Time
13:00 UTC
Height
at 5,000 ft
Aircraft
C25A
Temperature
4 °C
Icing
lt rime
Remarks
lt rime in the descent
GLF4 descending, 37 nm south, 8:48 am CDT (13:48 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. 1002 nm along the route, 37 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
BZN UA /OV BZN/TM 1348/FLDURD/TP GLF4/SK 047
```
Report
a routine report filed through BZN
Where
over BZN
Time
13:48 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
GLF4
Sky
at 4,700 ft
C340 descending, 37 nm south, 7:47 am CDT (12:47 UTC): light icing, remarks: smooth. 1002 nm along the route, 37 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
BZN UA /OV BZN/TM 1247/FLDURD/TP C340/SK 055/IC LGT RM/RM SMOOTH
```
Report
a routine report filed through BZN
Where
over BZN
Time
12:47 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
C340
Sky
at 5,500 ft
Icing
light remarks
Remarks
smooth
BE9L at 7,500 ft, 2 nm southwest, 7:45 am CDT (12:45 UTC): no turbulence, light rime icing, overcast from 7,500 ft to 9,000 ft, -6 °C, remarks: during the climb. 1042 nm along the route, 2 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
HLN UA /OV HLN120010/TM 1245/FL075/TP BE9L/SK OVC075-TOPS090/TA M06/TB NEG/IC LGT RIME/RM DURC
```
Report
a routine report filed through HLN
Where
10 nm southeast (120°) of HLN
Time
12:45 UTC
Height
at 7,500 ft
Aircraft
BE9L
Sky
overcast from 7,500 ft, tops 9,000 ft
Temperature
−6 °C
Turbulence
none
Icing
light rime
Remarks
during the climb
B752 at 41,000 ft, 13 nm north, 7:31 am CDT (12:31 UTC): light to moderate turbulence above 41,000 ft. 1052 nm along the route, 13 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
HLN UA /OV HLN009010/TM 1231/FL410/TP B752/TB CONS LGT OCNL MOD 410/ZLC
```
Report
a routine report filed through HLN
Where
10 nm north (009°) of HLN
Time
12:31 UTC
Height
at 41,000 ft
Aircraft
B752
Turbulence
continuous light occasional moderate 410/ZLC

Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 08:00–15:00 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 12 forecast points nearest it (SPI, BRL, DSM, OMA, FSD, ONL, PIR, RAP, MLS, BIL, GTF, GPI). 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	250° at 20 kt	+15 kt	12 °C	105 kt	10 h 52 min	6:50 pm MDT (00:50 UTC)
6,500 ft	250° at 18 kt	+13 kt	14 °C	107 kt	10 h 40 min	6:38 pm MDT (00:38 UTC)
8,500 ft	250° at 18 kt	+12 kt	11 °C	108 kt	10 h 34 min	6:32 pm MDT (00:32 UTC)
10,500 ft	240° at 20 kt	+12 kt	4 °C	108 kt	10 h 34 min	6:32 pm MDT (00:32 UTC)
12,500 ft	240° at 21 kt	+12 kt	1 °C	108 kt	10 h 34 min	6:32 pm MDT (00:32 UTC)
14,500 ft	230° at 23 kt	+12 kt	-3 °C	108 kt	10 h 34 min	6:32 pm MDT (00:32 UTC)
16,500 ft	230° at 24 kt	+12 kt	-7 °C	108 kt	10 h 34 min	6:32 pm MDT (00:32 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	230° at 25 kt	+12 kt	-10 °C	108 kt	10 h 34 min	6:32 pm MDT (00:32 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	230° at 37 kt	+16 kt	-23 °C	104 kt	10 h 58 min	6:56 pm MDT (00:56 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	240° at 44 kt	+27 kt	-34 °C	93 kt	12 h 16 min	8:14 pm MDT (02:14 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	240° at 50 kt	+33 kt	-38 °C	87 kt	13 h 07 min	9:05 pm MDT (03:05 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	250° at 54 kt	+39 kt	-46 °C	81 kt	14 h 05 min	10:03 pm MDT (04:03 UTC)

Based on data from the 12th at 06:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 12:00 UTC for use 08:00 to 15:00 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
SPI	used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line	260/28	250/22 15°	250/14 9°	260/20 6°	280/27 -7°	280/34 -19°	280/48 -32°	280/59 -41°	300/60 -49°
BRL	used from 50 nm out; 20 nm from the line	250/32	250/19 17°	260/15 11°	270/16 3°	290/23 -7°	260/42 -20°	270/52 -34°	280/63 -39°	290/64 -48°
DSM	used from 149 nm out; 34 nm from the line	250/47	260/25 20°	240/19 11°	240/31 5°	250/26 -9°	260/38 -20°	260/47 -34°	270/58 -37°	270/61 -47°
OMA	used from 248 nm out; 58 nm from the line	230/47	240/33 21°	230/22 13°	220/27 5°	240/35 -8°	250/43 -21°	260/47 -33°	260/59 -36°	270/58 -46°
FSD	used from 347 nm out; 54 nm from the line	210/20	230/23 21°	220/25 14°	230/30 5°	230/26 -9°	240/30 -21°	270/33 -36°	260/47 -37°	270/58 -47°
ONL	used from 397 nm out; 46 nm from the line		250/31 22°	230/27 16°	220/25 8°	230/25 -9°	220/29 -22°	250/42 -33°	250/48 -36°	250/52 -46°
PIR	used from 496 nm out; 41 nm from the line		230/15 15°	220/22 14°	220/24 6°	200/32 -10°	210/48 -22°	240/45 -33°	240/43 -37°	250/55 -46°
RAP	used from 595 nm out; 40 nm from the line		250/28 16°	260/31 10°	240/25 4°	210/35 -10°	200/45 -23°	230/47 -31°	230/47 -36°	230/51 -46°
MLS	used from 744 nm out; 75 nm from the line		290/17 -1°	250/18 0°	230/25 0°	220/31 -11°	220/32 -24°	220/50 -32°	220/60 -38°	230/71 -46°
BIL	used from 843 nm out; 34 nm from the line		300/14	270/19 -2°	260/26 -2°	220/28 -13°	210/51 -25°	220/56 -33°	220/61 -39°	220/72 -45°
GTF	used from 992 nm out; 65 nm from the line		L/V	L/V -7°	240/8 -8°	240/30 -14°	240/40 -28°	210/52 -38°	210/76 -38°	220/72 -43°
GPI	used from 1091 nm out; 95 nm from the line		090/8 -4°	140/7 -7°	090/10 -8°	110/10 -19°	210/25 -30°	200/24 -40°	210/31 -39°	210/35 -42°

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
SPI Springfield, IL	departure	VFR	from the south-southwest (200°) at 7 knots	10+ mi	none	597 ft	8:52 am CDT (13:52 UTC)
FSW Fort Madison, IA	89 nm out, 6 nm northeast of the line	VFR	from the south (170°) at 10 knots	10+ mi	none	721 ft	13:35 UTC
DSM Des Moines, IA	208 nm out, 2 nm northeast of the line, tower	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 feet, a few clouds at 20,000 feet, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet	from the south-southwest (200°) at 11 knots, gusting to 19	10+ mi	none	957 ft	13:54 UTC
SUX Sioux City, IA	337 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line, tower	VFR	from the southeast (130°) at 9 knots	10+ mi	none	1,098 ft	13:52 UTC
VMR Vermillion, SD	367 nm out, 6 nm north of the line	VFR	from the west-northwest (300°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	1,146 ft	13:35 UTC
ICR Winner, SD	506 nm out, 14 nm south of the line	low IFR Sky: overcast at 200 feet Weather: light rain, mist	from the north-northwest (330°) at 9 knots	1.75 mi	200 ft	2,032 ft	13:53 UTC
PHP Philip, SD	585 nm out, 7 nm southwest of the line	marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,300 feet	from the northeast (040°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	1,300 ft	2,209 ft	12:55 UTC
EFC Belle Fourche, SD	694 nm out, 3 nm south of the line	no report just now				3,190 ft
BIL Billings, MT	903 nm out, 5 nm south of the line, tower	VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 2,100 feet, overcast at 3,700 feet	from the southwest (220°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	3,700 ft	3,662 ft	13:53 UTC
HWQ Harlowton, MT	962 nm out, 17 nm north of the line	no report just now				4,311 ft
HLN Helena, MT	1052 nm out, 3 nm north of the line, tower	marginal VFR Sky: a broken layer at 2,000 feet, overcast at 4,300 feet	from the west (270°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	2,000 ft	3,877 ft	13:53 UTC
MSO Missoula, MT	destination	VFR Sky: overcast at 6,500 feet	from the north (350°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	6,500 ft	3,205 ft	7:53 am MDT (13:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 4,311 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At MSO when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:32 pm MDT (00:32 UTC)

Wind from the east-southeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 10,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for MSO

From Mon 6:00 am MDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the east at 2 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, scattered clouds at 1,500 feet, a broken layer at 4,000 feet
From Mon 8:00 am MDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the east-southeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 5,000 feet
From Mon 2:00 pm MDT (20:00 UTC): wind from the east-southeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 10,000 feet

The forecast for SPI, the departure

From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 1:00 pm CDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 11 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 11:00 pm CDT (04:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, clear skies

Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it

6/8927 Kalispell, MT, Wednesday, October 14, 2026 through Wednesday, October 14, 2026 Local on the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · starts Wednesday 14 October · ZSE
6/8923 Kalispell, MT, Wednesday, October 14, 2026 through Wednesday, October 14, 2026 Local on the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · starts Wednesday 14 October · ZLC

Daylight

Sunset at SPI 6:24 pm CDT (23:24 UTC), at MSO 6:53 pm MDT (00:53 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:23 pm MDT (01:23 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

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the northern Rockies · loop National Weather Service

Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service

Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center

Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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: Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, Missoula Montana Airport.