The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Sun 10:03 pm CDT (03:03 UTC)

Waco Regional to Rick Husband Amarillo International ACT → AMA

312 nautical miles (359 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 315°, about 308° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7E). At 120 knots that is 2 h 23 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 11-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:26 am CDT (05:26 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now ACT is VFR, wind from the south-southeast (160°) at 12 knots; AMA is VFR, wind from the south (170°) at 21 knots, gusting to 27. 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

No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.

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 ACT.

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

  • A320 at 35,000 ft, 7 nm south, 7:43 pm CDT (00:43 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: ZFW47. 253 nm along the route, 7 nm south of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    CDS UA /OV CDS270030/TM 0043/FL350/TP A320/TB LGT CHOP/RM ZFW47
    Report
    a routine report filed through CDS
    Where
    30 nm west (270°) of CDS
    Time
    00:43 UTC
    Height
    at 35,000 ft
    Aircraft
    A320
    Turbulence
    light chop
    Remarks
    ZFW47

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 5 forecast points nearest it (DAL, ABI, SPS, LBB, AMA). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft200° at 33 kt−11 kt17 °C131 kt2 h 23 min12:26 am CDT (05:26 UTC)
6,500 ft210° at 30 kt−8 kt17 °C128 kt2 h 26 min12:29 am CDT (05:29 UTC)
8,500 ft220° at 24 kt−2 kt15 °C122 kt2 h 33 min12:36 am CDT (05:36 UTC)
10,500 ft230° at 21 kt+2 kt11 °C118 kt2 h 39 min12:42 am CDT (05:42 UTC)
12,500 ft240° at 19 kt+6 kt7 °C114 kt2 h 44 min12:47 am CDT (05:47 UTC)
14,500 ft240° at 19 kt+5 kt3 °C115 kt2 h 43 min12:46 am CDT (05:46 UTC)
16,500 ft240° at 19 kt+4 kt-1 °C116 kt2 h 41 min12:44 am CDT (05:44 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180230° at 19 kt+3 kt-4 °C117 kt2 h 40 min12:43 am CDT (05:43 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240240° at 28 kt+10 kt-15 °C110 kt2 h 50 min12:53 am CDT (05:53 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300250° at 46 kt+21 kt-28 °C99 kt3 h 09 min1:12 am CDT (06:12 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340260° at 43 kt+26 kt-38 °C94 kt3 h 19 min1:22 am CDT (06:22 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390280° at 42 kt+34 kt-50 °C86 kt3 h 38 min1:41 am CDT (06:41 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
DALused from 0 nm out; 67 nm from the line190/29220/23 17°220/17 13°250/18 8°230/18 -5°240/18 -15°270/34 -29°280/33 -39°300/36 -51°
ABIused from 49 nm out; 73 nm from the line200/31 17°210/21 15°240/15 9°250/14 -4°250/24 -14°250/36 -28°270/35 -38°290/41 -50°
SPSused from 146 nm out; 61 nm from the line200/39220/28 17°230/27 12°240/15 9°250/15 -4°250/24 -15°260/45 -28°270/43 -39°280/45 -51°
LBBused from 195 nm out; 80 nm from the line200/36 18°220/19 15°240/20 8°230/24 -4°240/37 -16°250/57 -28°250/51 -38°270/47 -50°
AMAused from 244 nm out; 44 nm from the line210/38230/29 14°240/29 7°220/27 -5°240/37 -18°240/66 -28°250/59 -37°260/47 -49°

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
ACT Waco, TX departure VFR from the south-southeast (160°) at 12 knots 10+ mi none 516 ft 9:51 pm CDT (02:51 UTC)
CPT Cleburne, TX 39 nm out, 24 nm northeast of the line VFR from the south-southeast (150°) at 7 knots 10+ mi none 854 ft 02:55 UTC
SEP Stephenville, TX 58 nm out, 9 nm southwest of the line VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 12,000 feet from the south-southeast (160°) at 3 knots 10+ mi none 1,321 ft 02:55 UTC
BKD Breckenridge, TX 107 nm out, 12 nm southwest of the line VFR from the south-southeast (150°) at 6 knots 7 mi none 1,284 ft 02:55 UTC
CDS Childress, TX 224 nm out, 14 nm northeast of the line VFR from the south-southeast (160°) at 8 knots 10+ mi none 1,953 ft 02:53 UTC
AMA Amarillo, TX destination VFR from the south (170°) at 21 knots, gusting to 27 10+ mi none 3,606 ft 9:53 pm CDT (02:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 3,606 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At AMA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:26 am CDT (05:26 UTC)

Wind from the south at 15 knots, gusting to 26, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for AMA
  • From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 15 knots, gusting to 26, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 3:00 am CDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 17 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 23, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 3:00 pm CDT (20:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 26, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for ACT, the departure
  • From Sun 10:00 pm CDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
  • From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 2,700 feet, scattered clouds at 3,500 feet
  • At times between Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC) and 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): a broken layer at 2,700 feet
  • From Mon 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the south at 10 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 17,000 feet

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

  • 6/0543 MCGREGOR, TX 16 nm from the route, at the departure end · security · ZFW

Daylight

Sunset at ACT 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC), at AMA 7:15 pm CDT (00:15 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:41 pm CDT (00:41 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at AMA is before sunrise there (7:50 am CDT (12:50 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 southern Plains
Radar now, the southern Plains · 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: Waco Regional, Rick Husband Amarillo International.