The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 1:38 am CDT (06:38 UTC)

St. Louis Lambert International to Billings Logan International STL → BIL

909 nautical miles (1,046 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 304°, about 305° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1W). At 120 knots that is 7 h 31 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 1-knot tailwind), arriving about 8:09 am MDT (14:09 UTC). Right now STL is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (210°) at 7 knots; BIL is marginal VFR, wind from the north-northwest (340°) at 6 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 return flight

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 C11C: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 31,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 2:55 am CDT (07:55 UTC). Over the route from 639 to 689 nm out.
    as issued
    WSUS32 KKCI 120555
    MKCC WST 120555
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 11C
    VALID UNTIL 0755Z
    SD WY
    FROM 60WNW DPR-20SSE DPR-40SSW RAP-60W RAP-60WNW DPR
    DMSHG AREA TS MOV FROM 22040KT. TOPS TO FL310.
  • 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). Over the route from 90 to 439 nm out.
  • 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 last 419 nm of the route.
  • 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 669 to 829 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 38,000 ft. Over the route from 709 to 819 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the route from 749 to 869 nm out.
  • AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the last 130 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Near the route, at the destination end.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Near the route, at the destination end.

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 STL.

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

No pilot reports within 50 nautical miles of the line in the last three hours.

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 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 9 forecast points nearest it (STL, COU, DSM, OMA, ONL, PIR, RAP, MLS, BIL). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft210° at 23 kt−1 kt14 °C121 kt7 h 31 min8:09 am MDT (14:09 UTC)
6,500 ft210° at 21 kt+1 kt14 °C119 kt7 h 38 min8:16 am MDT (14:16 UTC)
8,500 ft220° at 21 kt+3 kt12 °C117 kt7 h 46 min8:24 am MDT (14:24 UTC)
10,500 ft220° at 23 kt+5 kt8 °C115 kt7 h 54 min8:32 am MDT (14:32 UTC)
12,500 ft220° at 25 kt+7 kt4 °C113 kt8 h 03 min8:41 am MDT (14:41 UTC)
14,500 ft230° at 25 kt+9 kt0 °C111 kt8 h 11 min8:49 am MDT (14:49 UTC)
16,500 ft230° at 26 kt+11 kt-5 °C109 kt8 h 20 min8:58 am MDT (14:58 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180240° at 26 kt+13 kt-9 °C107 kt8 h 30 min9:08 am MDT (15:08 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240240° at 30 kt+17 kt-20 °C103 kt8 h 50 min9:28 am MDT (15:28 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300240° at 39 kt+23 kt-35 °C97 kt9 h 22 min10:00 am MDT (16:00 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340260° at 52 kt+40 kt-40 °C80 kt11 h 22 min12:00 pm MDT (18:00 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390260° at 57 kt+46 kt-48 °C74 kt12 h 17 min12:55 pm MDT (18:55 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
STLused from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line250/24250/24 16°260/23 9°270/16 6°260/25 -6°270/29 -19°290/34 -33°290/48 -41°290/54 -51°
COUused from 50 nm out; 44 nm from the line230/31230/30 15°260/16 11°270/14 6°260/24 -6°270/27 -18°270/37 -32°280/49 -41°290/56 -51°
DSMused from 150 nm out; 73 nm from the line230/40250/33 17°250/18 12°240/17 5°260/28 -8°270/34 -19°260/41 -33°260/55 -41°270/62 -51°
OMAused from 250 nm out; 22 nm from the line220/47240/33 19°250/18 11°230/17 6°260/29 -8°250/33 -19°250/51 -33°260/61 -40°270/62 -49°
ONLused from 350 nm out; 65 nm from the line210/31 20°230/27 13°230/18 7°220/19 -8°240/26 -20°250/44 -35°270/52 -39°260/57 -47°
PIRused from 499 nm out; 73 nm from the line170/22 19°190/25 13°210/32 6°240/23 -9°250/32 -21°250/38 -36°260/44 -40°260/52 -47°
RAPused from 599 nm out; 29 nm from the line180/23 12°200/38 13°210/38 6°220/28 -10°230/34 -21°230/37 -36°250/52 -38°250/59 -46°
MLSused from 749 nm out; 89 nm from the line150/23 2°190/29 4°210/44 2°220/32 -10°210/36 -21°200/48 -37°230/63 -40°240/71 -47°
BILused from 849 nm out; 35 nm from the line080/13180/9 -2°210/38 0°220/51 -11°210/46 -22°210/58 -35°230/73 -39°230/72 -45°

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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
STL St Louis, MO departure VFR from the south-southwest (210°) at 7 knots 10+ mi none 617 ft 12:51 am CDT (05:51 UTC)
MYJ Mexico, MO 70 nm out, 16 nm southwest of the line VFR from the south (190°) at 7 knots 10+ mi none 822 ft 06:15 UTC
TRX Trenton, MO 170 nm out, 13 nm southwest of the line no report just now 757 ft
RDK Red Oak, IA 260 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line VFR from the south (190°) at 9 knots 10+ mi none 1,045 ft 06:15 UTC
OMA Omaha, NE 300 nm out, 5 nm south of the line, tower VFR Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 feet from the south-southeast (150°) at 8 knots 10+ mi none 984 ft 05:52 UTC
OFK Norfolk, NE 380 nm out, 4 nm south of the line VFR from the west (280°) at 4 knots 10+ mi none 1,572 ft 05:56 UTC
RBE Bassett, NE 479 nm out, 17 nm south of the line no report just now 2,349 ft
SUO Rosebud, SD 549 nm out, 6 nm south of the line low IFR Sky: overcast at 300 feet Weather: mist from the east-northeast (070°) at 6 knots 5 mi 300 ft 2,724 ft 06:15 UTC
RAP Rapid City, SD 649 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line, tower low IFR Sky: overcast at 300 feet Weather: mist from the northwest (320°) at 5 knots 4 mi 300 ft 3,203 ft 06:08 UTC
BIL Billings, MT destination marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,200 feet Weather: light rain, light snow, mist from the north-northwest (340°) at 6 knots 3 mi 1,200 ft 3,662 ft 11:53 pm MDT (05:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 3,662 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At BIL when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:09 am MDT (14:09 UTC)

Wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, a few clouds at 300 feet, overcast at 800 feet IFR

The whole forecast for BIL
  • From Mon 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 10 knots, visibility 5 miles, light rain snow ice pellets, mist, a few clouds at 300 feet, overcast at 1,000 feet
  • At times between Mon 12:00 am MDT (06:00 UTC) and 4:00 am MDT (10:00 UTC): visibility 2 miles, light rain snow ice pellets, mist, a broken layer at 300 feet, overcast at 800 feet
  • From Mon 7:00 am MDT (13:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, a few clouds at 300 feet, overcast at 800 feet
  • From Mon 12:00 pm MDT (18:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 800 feet, a broken layer at 2,000 feet
  • From Mon 8:00 pm MDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the east at 8 knots, visibility 5 miles, mist, a few clouds at 300 feet, overcast at 1,500 feet
The forecast for STL, the departure
  • From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 6:00 pm CDT (23:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet

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

  • 6/7634 CENTRALIA, MO, Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 25 nm from the route, 80 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · today · ZKC

Daylight

Sunset at STL 6:27 pm CDT (23:27 UTC), at BIL 6:32 pm MDT (00:32 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:02 pm MDT (01:02 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
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the northern Rockies
Radar now, the northern Rockies · loop National Weather Service
Radar, the whole country
Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service
Surface analysis now
Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead
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: St. Louis Lambert International, Billings Logan International.