Bradley International to Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport BDL → DCA
272 nautical miles (313 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 228°, about 242° magnetic at the departure end (variation 14W). At 120 knots that is 2 h 35 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 15-knot headwind), arriving about 12:16 am EDT (04:16 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: 3,229 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
- SIGMET 2E: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 31,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 10:55 pm EDT (02:55 UTC). Over the route from 68 to 223 nm out.
as issued
WSUS31 KKCI 120055 MKCE WST 120055 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 2E VALID UNTIL 0255Z CT NY NJ PA DE MD AND NJ NY CT CSTL WTRS FROM 30NE SAX-30SSW HTO-30ESE EMI-50WSW HAR-30NE SAX AREA EMBD TS MOV FROM 22020KT. TOPS TO FL310.
- 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 whole route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the whole route.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 13,000 ft. Over the first 136 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 BDL.
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 (BDL, 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 24 kt | +15 kt | 105 kt | 2 h 35 min | 12:16 am EDT (04:16 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 200° at 26 kt | +22 kt | 13 °C | 98 kt | 2 h 47 min | 12:28 am EDT (04:28 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 220° at 27 kt | +26 kt | 11 °C | 94 kt | 2 h 54 min | 12:35 am EDT (04:35 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 230° at 27 kt | +27 kt | 7 °C | 93 kt | 2 h 55 min | 12:36 am EDT (04:36 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 240° at 28 kt | +28 kt | 4 °C | 92 kt | 2 h 57 min | 12:38 am EDT (04:38 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 240° at 32 kt | +32 kt | 0 °C | 88 kt | 3 h 05 min | 12:46 am EDT (04:46 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 240° at 37 kt | +36 kt | -4 °C | 84 kt | 3 h 14 min | 12:55 am EDT (04:55 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 240° at 40 kt | +39 kt | -7 °C | 81 kt | 3 h 21 min | 1:02 am EDT (05:02 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 51 kt | +51 kt | -17 °C | 69 kt | 3 h 57 min | 1:38 am EDT (05:38 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 230° at 71 kt | +71 kt | -31 °C | 49 kt | 5 h 33 min | 3:14 am EDT (07:14 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 230° at 80 kt | +80 kt | -41 °C | 40 kt | 6 h 48 min | 4:29 am EDT (08:29 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 230° at 86 kt | +86 kt | -53 °C | 34 kt | 8 h | 5:41 am EDT (09:41 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDL | used from 0 nm out; 24 nm from the line | 140/28 | 180/29 10° | 220/38 8° | 250/30 3° | 250/40 -8° | 240/46 -18° | 240/58 -32° | 240/80 -41° | 240/89 -55° |
| JFK | used from 49 nm out; 30 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 146 nm out; 53 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 243 nm out; 94 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDL Windsor Locks, CT | departure | no report just now | 173 ft | ||||
| OXC Oxford, CT | 29 nm out, 8 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 730 ft | ||||
| DXR Danbury, CT | 49 nm out, 2 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 456 ft | ||||
| CDW Caldwell, NJ | 97 nm out, 1 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 172 ft | ||||
| TTN Trenton, NJ | 136 nm out, 9 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 212 ft | ||||
| ILG Wilmington, DE | 194 nm out, 11 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 79 ft | ||||
| MTN Baltimore, MD | 233 nm out, 2 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 22 ft | ||||
| DCA Washington, DC | destination | no report just now | 14 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 730 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At DCA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:16 am EDT (04:16 UTC)
DCA has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 5/2811 NEW YORK, NY, Monday, October 20, 2025 through Tuesday, October 20, 2026 Local 13 nm from the route, 87 nm along the route · security · until 20 October · ZNY
- 6/8800 Baltimore, MD, Saturday, October 17, 2026 through Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC 5 nm from the route, 243 nm along the route · drones kept away from a public gathering · starts Saturday 17 October · ZDC
- 4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA on the route, at the destination end · security · ZDC
- 6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 13 nm from the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · today · ZDC
Daylight
Sunset at BDL 6:14 pm EDT (22:14 UTC), at DCA 6:34 pm EDT (22:34 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:01 pm EDT (23:01 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at DCA is before sunrise there (7:14 am EDT (11:14 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: Bradley International, Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport.