Williston Basin International to Denver International XWA → DEN
506 nautical miles (582 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 185°, about 177° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 3 h 55 min at the quickest height in today's winds (5,500 ft, a 9-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:54 pm MDT (18:54 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: 2,710 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 first 367 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 10 to 99 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 34,000 ft to 43,000 ft. Over the last 169 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 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 XWA.
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 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 4 forecast points nearest it (DIK, RAP, BFF, DEN). 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 | 310° at 14 kt | −9 kt | 4 °C | 129 kt | 3 h 55 min | 12:54 pm MDT (18:54 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 280° at 14 kt | −2 kt | 5 °C | 122 kt | 4 h 09 min | 1:08 pm MDT (19:08 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 260° at 18 kt | +5 kt | 6 °C | 115 kt | 4 h 24 min | 1:23 pm MDT (19:23 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 250° at 20 kt | +10 kt | 3 °C | 110 kt | 4 h 36 min | 1:35 pm MDT (19:35 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 240° at 23 kt | +13 kt | -2 °C | 107 kt | 4 h 44 min | 1:43 pm MDT (19:43 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 240° at 26 kt | +16 kt | -6 °C | 104 kt | 4 h 52 min | 1:51 pm MDT (19:51 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 230° at 29 kt | +19 kt | -10 °C | 101 kt | 5 h 01 min | 2:00 pm MDT (20:00 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 30 kt | +20 kt | -11 °C | 100 kt | 5 h 04 min | 2:03 pm MDT (20:03 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 240° at 41 kt | +24 kt | -23 °C | 96 kt | 5 h 16 min | 2:15 pm MDT (20:15 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 240° at 53 kt | +27 kt | -33 °C | 93 kt | 5 h 26 min | 2:25 pm MDT (20:25 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 240° at 61 kt | +39 kt | -37 °C | 81 kt | 6 h 15 min | 3:14 pm MDT (21:14 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 240° at 67 kt | +39 kt | -44 °C | 81 kt | 6 h 15 min | 3:14 pm MDT (21:14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIK | used from 0 nm out; 75 nm from the line | 330/11 1° | 230/20 4° | 220/22 0° | 230/29 -12° | 240/27 -25° | 240/40 -34° | 230/49 -37° | 240/55 -44° | |
| RAP | used from 149 nm out; 92 nm from the line | 310/18 6° | 270/15 6° | 260/20 2° | 240/28 -11° | 240/42 -23° | 240/47 -35° | 230/47 -36° | 240/56 -44° | |
| BFF | used from 298 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 310/15 | 280/27 8° | 250/27 2° | 230/30 -12° | 240/52 -22° | 250/66 -32° | 240/78 -37° | 240/76 -43° | |
| DEN | used from 446 nm out; 35 nm from the line | 230/7 11° | 230/13 4° | 230/40 -9° | 230/48 -20° | 240/66 -32° | 240/88 -38° | 230/100 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XWA Williston, ND | departure | no report just now | 2,356 ft | ||||
| SDY Sidney, MT | 30 nm out, 16 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,985 ft | ||||
| BHK Baker, MT | 119 nm out, 12 nm west of the line | no report just now | 2,980 ft | ||||
| EFC Belle Fourche, SD | 208 nm out, 13 nm east of the line | no report just now | 3,190 ft | ||||
| ECS Newcastle, WY | 268 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 4,177 ft | ||||
| LSK Lusk, WY | 327 nm out, 5 nm south of the line | no report just now | 4,966 ft | ||||
| GUR Guernsey, WY | 367 nm out, 14 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 4,401 ft | ||||
| CYS Cheyenne, WY | 426 nm out, 12 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 6,159 ft | ||||
| FNL Fort Collins/Loveland, CO | 476 nm out, 19 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 5,020 ft | ||||
| DEN Denver, CO | destination | no report just now | 5,433 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 6,159 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At DEN when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:54 pm MDT (18:54 UTC)
DEN has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
No temporary flight restriction on or near this route right now.
Daylight
Sunset at XWA 7:10 pm CDT (00:10 UTC), at DEN 6:22 pm MDT (00:22 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:49 pm MDT (00:49 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: Williston Basin International, Denver International.