Alexandria International to Lincoln Airport AEX → LNK
607 nautical miles (699 statute miles) north on a straight line, true course 342°, about 339° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3E). At 120 knots that is 4 h 45 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 8-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:31 am CDT (15:31 UTC). Right now AEX is VFR, wind calm; LNK is VFR, wind from the south (190°) at 10 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 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 last 338 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 AEX.
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 6 forecast points nearest it (SHV, LIT, FSM, TUL, MKC, OMA). 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 | 230° at 28 kt | −8 kt | 128 kt | 4 h 45 min | 10:31 am CDT (15:31 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 240° at 22 kt | −5 kt | 17 °C | 125 kt | 4 h 51 min | 10:37 am CDT (15:37 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 230° at 20 kt | −7 kt | 13 °C | 127 kt | 4 h 47 min | 10:33 am CDT (15:33 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 230° at 19 kt | −6 kt | 10 °C | 126 kt | 4 h 49 min | 10:35 am CDT (15:35 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 230° at 18 kt | −5 kt | 6 °C | 125 kt | 4 h 51 min | 10:37 am CDT (15:37 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 240° at 19 kt | −3 kt | 1 °C | 123 kt | 4 h 56 min | 10:42 am CDT (15:42 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 250° at 20 kt | −1 kt | -4 °C | 121 kt | 5 h 01 min | 10:47 am CDT (15:47 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 21 kt | 0 | -7 °C | 120 kt | 5 h 04 min | 10:50 am CDT (15:50 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 250° at 28 kt | +1 kt | -17 °C | 119 kt | 5 h 06 min | 10:52 am CDT (15:52 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 280° at 50 kt | +23 kt | -30 °C | 97 kt | 6 h 15 min | 12:01 pm CDT (17:01 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 49 kt | +25 kt | -39 °C | 95 kt | 6 h 23 min | 12:09 pm CDT (17:09 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 290° at 46 kt | +31 kt | -50 °C | 89 kt | 6 h 49 min | 12:35 pm CDT (17:35 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHV | used from 0 nm out; 72 nm from the line | 210/20 | 210/20 18° | 230/20 11° | 240/16 7° | 270/17 -7° | 250/11 -15° | 300/34 -30° | 310/34 -40° | 320/36 -51° |
| LIT | used from 149 nm out; 81 nm from the line | 250/22 | 250/25 18° | 240/23 12° | 240/20 7° | 250/17 -6° | 260/25 -17° | 300/45 -29° | 300/49 -40° | 310/43 -51° |
| FSM | used from 199 nm out; 34 nm from the line | 230/33 | 260/23 15° | 240/23 11° | 230/18 8° | 230/20 -8° | 250/31 -17° | 280/51 -30° | 280/52 -39° | 300/47 -51° |
| TUL | used from 299 nm out; 61 nm from the line | 230/42 | 250/23 17° | 220/16 14° | 240/10 8° | 240/20 -6° | 260/28 -17° | 270/61 -29° | 280/52 -38° | 290/46 -50° |
| MKC | used from 398 nm out; 78 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 547 nm out; 66 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° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEX Alexandria, LA | departure | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 88 ft | 4:53 am CDT (09:53 UTC) |
| IER Natchitoches, LA | 30 nm out, 19 nm west of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 121 ft | 10:35 UTC |
| AGO Magnolia, AR | 119 nm out, 4 nm east of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 319 ft | 10:35 UTC |
| MEZ Mena, AR | 209 nm out, 16 nm west of the line | VFR | from the west-southwest (250°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,079 ft | 10:35 UTC |
| FSM Fort Smith, AR | 259 nm out, 8 nm southwest of the line, tower | VFR | from the northeast (040°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 469 ft | 09:53 UTC |
| XNA Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers, AR | 308 nm out, 14 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (190°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,288 ft | 09:53 UTC |
| CNU Chanute, KS | 408 nm out, 12 nm southwest of the line | VFR | from the south (190°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,002 ft | 09:52 UTC |
| FOE Topeka, KS | 478 nm out, 9 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (180°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,077 ft | 09:53 UTC |
| TOP Topeka, KS | 488 nm out, 11 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (180°) at 11 knots, gusting to 19 | 10+ mi | none | 881 ft | 09:53 UTC |
| BIE Beatrice, NE | 577 nm out, 12 nm southwest of the line | VFR | from the south (180°) at 10 knots, gusting to 15 | 10+ mi | none | 1,323 ft | 10:35 UTC |
| LNK Lincoln, NE | destination | VFR | from the south (190°) at 10 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,218 ft | 4:54 am CDT (09:54 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,323 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At LNK when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:31 am CDT (15:31 UTC)
Wind from the south-southwest at 15 knots, gusting to 27, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for LNK
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 15 knots, gusting to 27, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 4:00 pm CDT (21:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 8:00 pm CDT (01:00 UTC): wind from the north at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for AEX, the departure
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the south at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
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 AEX 6:42 pm CDT (23:42 UTC), at LNK 6:51 pm CDT (23:51 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:19 pm CDT (00:19 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: Alexandria International, Lincoln Airport.