Aurora Muni/Al Potter Field to Chicago O'Hare International AUH → ORD
458 nautical miles (527 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 079°, about 073° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6E). At 120 knots that is 2 h 41 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 51-knot tailwind), arriving about 11:27 pm CDT (04:27 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: 789 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 3W: 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 first 239 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 AUH.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- B39M at 35,000 ft, 32 nm southeast, 7:29 pm CDT (00:29 UTC): no turbulence, remarks: smooth. At the destination end, 32 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
IKK UA /OV CGT/TM 0029/FL350/TP B39M/TB NEG/RM SMOOTH
- Report
- a routine report filed through IKK
- Where
- over CGT
- Time
- 00:29 UTC
- Height
- at 35,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B39M
- Turbulence
- none
- Remarks
- smooth
- CRJ7 at 17,000 ft, 41 nm east, 7:04 pm CDT (00:04 UTC): no turbulence. At the destination end, 41 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
BEH UA /OV ELX270040/TM 0004/FL170/TP CRJ7/TB NEG
- Report
- a routine report filed through BEH
- Where
- 40 nm west (270°) of ELX
- Time
- 00:04 UTC
- Height
- at 17,000 ft
- Aircraft
- CRJ7
- Turbulence
- none
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 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 6 forecast points nearest it (GRI, OMA, DSM, BRL, DBQ, JOT). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,500 ft | 210° at 24 kt | −15 kt | 135 kt | 3 h 24 min | 12:10 am CDT (05:10 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 230° at 24 kt | −21 kt | 19 °C | 141 kt | 3 h 15 min | 12:01 am CDT (05:01 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 240° at 22 kt | −21 kt | 14 °C | 141 kt | 3 h 15 min | 12:01 am CDT (05:01 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 250° at 20 kt | −20 kt | 10 °C | 140 kt | 3 h 16 min | 12:02 am CDT (05:02 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 260° at 17 kt | −17 kt | 6 °C | 137 kt | 3 h 21 min | 12:07 am CDT (05:07 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 260° at 17 kt | −17 kt | 2 °C | 137 kt | 3 h 21 min | 12:07 am CDT (05:07 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 260° at 18 kt | −18 kt | -2 °C | 138 kt | 3 h 19 min | 12:05 am CDT (05:05 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 260° at 18 kt | −19 kt | -6 °C | 139 kt | 3 h 18 min | 12:04 am CDT (05:04 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 260° at 19 kt | −19 kt | -7 °C | 139 kt | 3 h 18 min | 12:04 am CDT (05:04 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 270° at 23 kt | −23 kt | -19 °C | 143 kt | 3 h 12 min | 11:58 pm CDT (04:58 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 290° at 32 kt | −29 kt | -34 °C | 149 kt | 3 h 04 min | 11:50 pm CDT (04:50 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 290° at 41 kt | −36 kt | -42 °C | 156 kt | 2 h 56 min | 11:42 pm CDT (04:42 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 290° at 60 kt | −51 kt | -52 °C | 171 kt | 2 h 41 min | 11:27 pm CDT (04:27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRI | used from 0 nm out; 39 nm from the line | 210/31 19° | 240/21 14° | 240/17 6° | 260/27 -7° | 260/34 -18° | 240/45 -32° | 250/56 -40° | 260/62 -51° | |
| OMA | used from 50 nm out; 24 nm from the line | 190/34 | 230/34 19° | 250/25 12° | 250/18 6° | 250/22 -7° | 250/28 -19° | 260/34 -32° | 260/39 -41° | 280/56 -51° |
| DSM | used from 149 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 200/32 | 240/27 17° | 260/19 10° | 260/16 5° | 260/19 -7° | 240/22 -19° | 270/20 -32° | 270/38 -42° | 290/58 -53° |
| BRL | used from 249 nm out; 65 nm from the line | 200/20 | 250/21 16° | 240/22 10° | 260/20 5° | 270/16 -7° | 290/22 -18° | 320/41 -34° | 320/56 -43° | 310/68 -53° |
| DBQ | used from 299 nm out; 40 nm from the line | 220/23 | 240/22 16° | 240/24 10° | 260/18 5° | 270/16 -8° | 290/27 -19° | 310/42 -35° | 320/55 -44° | 300/71 -52° |
| JOT | used from 399 nm out; 33 nm from the line | 230/11 | 290/12 16° | 300/19 10° | 320/19 4° | 300/17 -9° | 330/31 -20° | 320/49 -37° | 320/53 -45° | 320/67 -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
| Airport | Where | Conditions | Wind | Visibility | Ceiling | Elevation | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUH Aurora, NE | departure | no report just now | 1,803 ft | ||||
| JYR York, NE | 20 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,669 ft | ||||
| LNK Lincoln, NE | 50 nm out, 14 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,218 ft | ||||
| OMA Omaha, NE | 100 nm out, 7 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 984 ft | ||||
| GFZ Greenfield, IA | 159 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 1,363 ft | ||||
| DSM Des Moines, IA | 199 nm out, 4 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 957 ft | ||||
| GGI Grinnell, IA | 239 nm out, 9 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,008 ft | ||||
| CID Cedar Rapids, IA | 289 nm out, 12 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 869 ft | ||||
| MLI Moline, IL | 339 nm out, 20 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 589 ft | ||||
| RFD Chicago/Rockford, IL | 409 nm out, 18 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 742 ft | ||||
| DPA Chicago/West Chicago, IL | 438 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 758 ft | ||||
| ORD Chicago, IL | destination | no report just now | 680 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,803 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At ORD when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 11:27 pm CDT (04:27 UTC)
ORD 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 AUH 6:56 pm CDT (23:56 UTC), at ORD 6:15 pm CDT (23:15 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:43 pm CDT (23:43 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at ORD is before sunrise there (7:00 am CDT (12:00 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: Aurora Muni/Al Potter Field, Chicago O'Hare International.