St. Louis Lambert International to Shively Field STL → SAA
772 nautical miles (888 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 287°, about 288° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1W). At 120 knots that is 7 h 25 min at the quickest height in today's winds (12,500 ft, a 16-knot headwind), arriving about 12:51 pm MDT (18:51 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 2W: 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 59 to 475 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 last 139 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 34,000 ft to 43,000 ft. Over the last 139 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 22,000 ft. Over the last 99 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the last 20 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: strong surface winds (30 knots or more) (due to sustained surface winds greater than 30 knots). Over the last 0 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 STL.
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 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 8 forecast points nearest it (STL, COU, MKC, OMA, GRI, GLD, BFF, RKS). 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 31 kt | +25 kt | 23 °C | 95 kt | 8 h 08 min | 1:34 pm MDT (19:34 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 250° at 27 kt | +22 kt | 19 °C | 98 kt | 7 h 53 min | 1:19 pm MDT (19:19 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 240° at 25 kt | +20 kt | 14 °C | 100 kt | 7 h 43 min | 1:09 pm MDT (19:09 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 240° at 25 kt | +18 kt | 9 °C | 102 kt | 7 h 34 min | 1:00 pm MDT (19:00 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 230° at 26 kt | +16 kt | 5 °C | 104 kt | 7 h 25 min | 12:51 pm MDT (18:51 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 230° at 27 kt | +17 kt | 0 °C | 103 kt | 7 h 30 min | 12:56 pm MDT (18:56 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 230° at 29 kt | +19 kt | -5 °C | 101 kt | 7 h 39 min | 1:05 pm MDT (19:05 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 30 kt | +20 kt | -9 °C | 100 kt | 7 h 43 min | 1:09 pm MDT (19:09 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 42 kt | +27 kt | -21 °C | 93 kt | 8 h 18 min | 1:44 pm MDT (19:44 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 250° at 55 kt | +48 kt | -31 °C | 72 kt | 10 h 43 min | 4:09 pm MDT (22:09 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 260° at 59 kt | +53 kt | -37 °C | 67 kt | 11 h 31 min | 4:57 pm MDT (22:57 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 260° at 55 kt | +53 kt | -47 °C | 67 kt | 11 h 31 min | 4:57 pm MDT (22:57 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 250/26 | 240/21 15° | 240/22 11° | 250/23 6° | 270/28 -7° | 260/30 -19° | 280/52 -31° | 280/57 -40° | 300/57 -49° |
| COU | used from 49 nm out; 23 nm from the line | 250/36 | 260/14 16° | 250/5 12° | 260/12 6° | 260/24 -7° | 260/35 -19° | 280/58 -31° | 280/62 -40° | 290/60 -49° |
| MKC | used from 148 nm out; 40 nm from the line | 240/49 | 240/21 20° | 220/19 13° | 230/21 6° | 260/26 -7° | 250/37 -19° | 270/66 -31° | 270/65 -38° | 280/60 -48° |
| OMA | used from 247 nm out; 81 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° |
| GRI | used from 297 nm out; 75 nm from the line | 230/39 23° | 230/32 15° | 210/29 7° | 230/31 -8° | 230/43 -21° | 250/52 -31° | 260/59 -35° | 260/59 -46° | |
| GLD | used from 495 nm out; 89 nm from the line | 260/37 | 260/25 14° | 250/27 8° | 230/36 -8° | 230/49 -21° | 250/71 -30° | 260/82 -36° | 250/73 -48° | |
| BFF | used from 544 nm out; 77 nm from the line | 280/28 | 260/39 11° | 240/34 5° | 210/38 -11° | 210/52 -22° | 230/61 -31° | 230/61 -36° | 240/56 -45° | |
| RKS | used from 742 nm out; 116 nm from the line | 250/9 | 230/21 -1° | 210/43 -14° | 220/59 -23° | 220/55 -32° | 220/53 -35° | 220/48 -44° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL St Louis, MO | departure | no report just now | 617 ft | ||||
| MYJ Mexico, MO | 69 nm out, 5 nm north of the line | no report just now | 822 ft | ||||
| COU Columbia, MO | 79 nm out, 21 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 889 ft | ||||
| STJ St Joseph, MO | 218 nm out, 2 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 826 ft | ||||
| FNB Falls City, NE | 257 nm out, 12 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 983 ft | ||||
| FBY Fairbury, NE | 326 nm out, 1 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,478 ft | ||||
| HDE Holdrege, NE | 425 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 2,313 ft | ||||
| GGF Grant, NE | 534 nm out, 5 nm west of the line | no report just now | 3,424 ft | ||||
| SNY Sidney, NE | 594 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 4,314 ft | ||||
| CYS Cheyenne, WY | 683 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 6,159 ft | ||||
| LAR Laramie, WY | 722 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 7,283 ft | ||||
| SAA Saratoga, WY | destination | no report just now | 7,014 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 7,283 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At SAA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:51 pm MDT (18:51 UTC)
SAA has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/7634 CENTRALIA, MO, Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 3 nm from the route, 89 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 SAA 6:29 pm MDT (00:29 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:57 pm MDT (00:57 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: St. Louis Lambert International, Shively Field.