Bradley International to Chicago Midway International BDL → MDW
673 nautical miles (774 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 274°, about 288° magnetic at the departure end (variation 14W). At 120 knots that is 5 h 34 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 1-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:22 am CDT (05:22 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: 1,618 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 SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the first 505 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 1C: moderate icing up to 24,000 ft. Over the first 198 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the first 346 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 257 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 59 to 287 nm out.
- 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 route from 109 to 238 nm out.
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 7 forecast points nearest it (BDL, ALB, AVP, BUF, CLE, FWA, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,500 ft | 170° at 5 kt | −1 kt | 121 kt | 5 h 34 min | 12:22 am CDT (05:22 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 260° at 5 kt | +4 kt | 12 °C | 116 kt | 5 h 48 min | 12:36 am CDT (05:36 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 280° at 7 kt | +6 kt | 9 °C | 114 kt | 5 h 54 min | 12:42 am CDT (05:42 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 290° at 8 kt | +7 kt | 5 °C | 113 kt | 5 h 57 min | 12:45 am CDT (05:45 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 290° at 10 kt | +9 kt | 2 °C | 111 kt | 6 h 04 min | 12:52 am CDT (05:52 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 280° at 12 kt | +11 kt | -2 °C | 109 kt | 6 h 10 min | 12:58 am CDT (05:58 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 280° at 13 kt | +13 kt | -6 °C | 107 kt | 6 h 17 min | 1:05 am CDT (06:05 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 15 kt | +14 kt | -10 °C | 106 kt | 6 h 21 min | 1:09 am CDT (06:09 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 260° at 19 kt | +18 kt | -21 °C | 102 kt | 6 h 36 min | 1:24 am CDT (06:24 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 260° at 33 kt | +31 kt | -35 °C | 89 kt | 7 h 34 min | 2:22 am CDT (07:22 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 250° at 47 kt | +43 kt | -42 °C | 77 kt | 8 h 44 min | 3:32 am CDT (08:32 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 250° at 50 kt | +46 kt | -50 °C | 74 kt | 9 h 06 min | 3:54 am CDT (08:54 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; 25 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° |
| ALB | used from 49 nm out; 50 nm from the line | 160/27 | 190/16 9° | 200/29 7° | 230/21 3° | 240/24 -9° | 240/43 -19° | 230/65 -33° | 240/91 -42° | 230/99 -53° |
| AVP | used from 99 nm out; 45 nm from the line | 110/36 | 190/34 13° | 230/11 8° | 230/16 4° | 230/26 -8° | 220/40 -19° | 230/73 -33° | 230/98 -41° | 230/87 -51° |
| BUF | used from 198 nm out; 69 nm from the line | 170/19 | L/V 10° | 040/9 6° | 220/8 2° | 230/15 -11° | 220/33 -22° | 220/47 -35° | 230/55 -41° | 230/56 -50° |
| CLE | used from 346 nm out; 56 nm from the line | 340/5 | 320/13 14° | 300/12 8° | 310/10 2° | 310/14 -10° | 340/14 -23° | 320/27 -35° | 260/28 -40° | 250/36 -48° |
| FWA | used from 495 nm out; 72 nm from the line | 350/9 | 350/24 15° | 360/25 9° | 360/29 4° | 350/31 -10° | 340/39 -22° | 330/40 -37° | 320/38 -43° | 320/48 -48° |
| JOT | used from 594 nm out; 76 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDL Windsor Locks, CT | departure | no report just now | 173 ft | ||||
| POU Poughkeepsie, NY | 49 nm out, 23 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 163 ft | ||||
| MSV Monticello, NY | 89 nm out, 21 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,403 ft | ||||
| ELM Elmira/Corning, NY | 188 nm out, 4 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 955 ft | ||||
| ELZ Wellsville, NY | 238 nm out, 1 nm east of the line | no report just now | 2,124 ft | ||||
| ERI Erie, PA | 336 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 732 ft | ||||
| HZY Ashtabula, OH | 356 nm out, 20 nm south of the line | no report just now | 926 ft | ||||
| DET Detroit, MI | 455 nm out, 22 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 624 ft | ||||
| DTW Detroit, MI | 475 nm out, 11 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 645 ft | ||||
| EKM Elkhart, IN | 594 nm out, 11 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 777 ft | ||||
| SBN South Bend, IN | 614 nm out, 11 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 798 ft | ||||
| MDW Chicago, IL | destination | no report just now | 619 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,124 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MDW when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:22 am CDT (05:22 UTC)
MDW has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8829 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 25 nm from the route, 356 nm along the route · a VIP movement · starts tomorrow · ZOB
- 6/8587 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 25 nm from the route, 356 nm along the route · a VIP movement · starts tomorrow · ZOB
Daylight
Sunset at BDL 6:14 pm EDT (22:14 UTC), at MDW 6:16 pm CDT (23:16 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:44 pm CDT (23:44 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at MDW is before sunrise there (6:59 am CDT (11:59 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, Chicago Midway International.