Nantucket Memorial to Washington Dulles International ACK → IAD
367 nautical miles (422 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 250°, about 264° magnetic at the departure end (variation 14W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 17 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 8-knot headwind), arriving about 12:21 am EDT (04:21 UTC), after sunset at the destination. 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: 11 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: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 307 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the last 347 nm of the route.
- 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). Near the route, 268 nm along the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the last 30 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 ACK.
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 20:00–03:00 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 4 forecast points nearest it (ACK, JFK, ACY, RIC). 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 | 180° at 22 kt | +8 kt | 112 kt | 3 h 17 min | 12:21 am EDT (04:21 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 200° at 25 kt | +15 kt | 12 °C | 105 kt | 3 h 30 min | 12:34 am EDT (04:34 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 220° at 26 kt | +23 kt | 11 °C | 97 kt | 3 h 47 min | 12:51 am EDT (04:51 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 230° at 29 kt | +27 kt | 7 °C | 93 kt | 3 h 57 min | 1:01 am EDT (05:01 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 230° at 31 kt | +30 kt | 4 °C | 90 kt | 4 h 05 min | 1:09 am EDT (05:09 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 240° at 35 kt | +34 kt | 0 °C | 86 kt | 4 h 16 min | 1:20 am EDT (05:20 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 240° at 38 kt | +38 kt | -4 °C | 82 kt | 4 h 29 min | 1:33 am EDT (05:33 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 240° at 41 kt | +40 kt | -7 °C | 80 kt | 4 h 35 min | 1:39 am EDT (05:39 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 240° at 51 kt | +50 kt | -17 °C | 70 kt | 5 h 15 min | 2:19 am EDT (06:19 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 230° at 70 kt | +67 kt | -31 °C | 53 kt | 6 h 55 min | 3:59 am EDT (07:59 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 230° at 77 kt | +75 kt | -41 °C | 45 kt | 8 h 09 min | 5:13 am EDT (09:13 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 230° at 85 kt | +83 kt | -53 °C | 37 kt | 9 h 55 min | 6:59 am EDT (10:59 UTC) |
Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACK | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 150/19 | 170/30 8° | 210/31 9° | 230/42 3° | 250/44 -7° | 250/50 -17° | 240/62 -32° | 250/71 -42° | 250/86 -55° |
| JFK | used from 99 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 140/43 | 170/35 13° | 230/18 9° | 250/25 5° | 240/40 -7° | 230/50 -17° | 230/75 -31° | 230/78 -41° | 230/88 -53° |
| ACY | used from 198 nm out; 27 nm from the line | 230/15 | 230/22 15° | 230/31 11° | 230/27 6° | 230/40 -7° | 230/51 -17° | 230/71 -31° | 230/81 -41° | 230/86 -53° |
| RIC | used from 347 nm out; 91 nm from the line | 190/33 | 200/29 14° | 210/31 12° | 210/38 6° | 230/42 -7° | 230/68 -16° | 220/84 -29° | 220/86 -40° | 220/81 -52° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACK Nantucket, MA | departure | no report just now | 46 ft | ||||
| MVY Vineyard Haven, MA | 20 nm out, 16 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 66 ft | ||||
| BID Block Island, RI | 69 nm out, 19 nm north of the line | no report just now | 107 ft | ||||
| FOK Westhampton Beach, NY | 119 nm out, 18 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 66 ft | ||||
| ISP New York, NY | 139 nm out, 23 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 98 ft | ||||
| BLM Belmar/Farmingdale, NJ | 198 nm out, 7 nm north of the line | no report just now | 153 ft | ||||
| PNE Philadelphia, PA | 238 nm out, 17 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 119 ft | ||||
| ILG Wilmington, DE | 268 nm out, 6 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 79 ft | ||||
| MTN Baltimore, MD | 317 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 22 ft | ||||
| BWI Baltimore, MD | 327 nm out, 3 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 143 ft | ||||
| IAD Washington, DC | destination | no report just now | 312 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 312 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At IAD when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:21 am EDT (04:21 UTC)
IAD has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8800 Baltimore, MD, Saturday, October 17, 2026 through Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC 4 nm from the route, 327 nm along the route · drones kept away from a public gathering · starts Saturday 17 October · ZDC
- 4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA on the route, 347 nm along the route · security · ZDC
- 6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local on the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · today · ZDC
Daylight
Sunset at ACK 6:04 pm EDT (22:04 UTC), at IAD 6:36 pm EDT (22:36 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:02 pm EDT (23:02 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at IAD is before sunrise there (7:16 am EDT (11:16 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: Nantucket Memorial, Washington Dulles International.