Bradley International to Raleigh-Durham International BDL → RDU
462 nautical miles (532 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 220°, about 234° magnetic at the departure end (variation 14W). At 120 knots that is 4 h 40 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 21-knot headwind), arriving about 12:37 am EDT (04:37 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: 730 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 393 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 1C: moderate icing up to 24,000 ft. Over the first 10 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the first 20 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 206 nm of the route.
- 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). Near the route, 118 nm along 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 5 forecast points nearest it (BDL, JFK, ACY, RIC, RDU). 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 | 190° at 24 kt | +21 kt | 99 kt | 4 h 40 min | 12:37 am EDT (04:37 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 200° at 25 kt | +24 kt | 13 °C | 96 kt | 4 h 49 min | 12:46 am EDT (04:46 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 220° at 28 kt | +28 kt | 11 °C | 92 kt | 5 h 01 min | 12:58 am EDT (04:58 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 220° at 30 kt | +30 kt | 8 °C | 90 kt | 5 h 08 min | 1:05 am EDT (05:05 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 230° at 32 kt | +32 kt | 5 °C | 88 kt | 5 h 15 min | 1:12 am EDT (05:12 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 230° at 35 kt | +34 kt | 1 °C | 86 kt | 5 h 22 min | 1:19 am EDT (05:19 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 230° at 39 kt | +37 kt | -4 °C | 83 kt | 5 h 34 min | 1:31 am EDT (05:31 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 41 kt | +40 kt | -7 °C | 80 kt | 5 h 46 min | 1:43 am EDT (05:43 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 58 kt | +57 kt | -16 °C | 63 kt | 7 h 20 min | 3:17 am EDT (07:17 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 230° at 76 kt | +75 kt | -30 °C | 45 kt | 10 h 16 min | 6:13 am EDT (10:13 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 220° at 81 kt | +81 kt | -41 °C | 39 kt | 11 h 51 min | 7:48 am EDT (11:48 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 230° at 83 kt | +82 kt | -53 °C | 38 kt | 12 h 09 min | 8:06 am EDT (12:06 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° |
| JFK | used from 49 nm out; 21 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 147 nm out; 28 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 246 nm out; 71 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° |
| RDU | used from 393 nm out; 44 nm from the line | 240/28 | 250/22 10° | 230/30 11° | 230/40 7° | 230/45 -4° | 220/69 -15° | 220/83 -29° | 210/84 -40° | 220/75 -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, 5 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 730 ft | ||||
| HPN White Plains, NY | 69 nm out, 2 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 439 ft | ||||
| EWR Newark, NJ | 98 nm out, 4 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 17 ft | ||||
| PHL Philadelphia, PA | 167 nm out, 12 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 35 ft | ||||
| DOV Dover, DE | 206 nm out, 9 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 28 ft | ||||
| ESN Easton, MD | 246 nm out, 3 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 72 ft | ||||
| XSA Tappahannock, VA | 315 nm out, 3 nm east of the line | no report just now | 135 ft | ||||
| RIC Richmond, VA | 344 nm out, 3 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 167 ft | ||||
| BKT Blackstone, VA | 383 nm out, 11 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 437 ft | ||||
| HNZ Oxford, NC | 433 nm out, 7 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 526 ft | ||||
| RDU Raleigh/Durham, NC | destination | no report just now | 435 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 RDU when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:37 am EDT (04:37 UTC)
RDU 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 2 nm from the route, 88 nm along the route · security · until 20 October · ZNY
- 6/8719 Greenwood, DE, Friday, October 16, 2026 through Saturday, October 17, 2026 UTC 8 nm from the route, 226 nm along the route · air shows/sports · starts Friday 16 October · ZDC
- 6/8886 Greenwood, DE, Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC 8 nm from the route, 226 nm along the route · air shows/sports · starts Sunday 18 October · ZDC
- 4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA 10 nm from the route, 265 nm along the route · security · ZDC
Daylight
Sunset at BDL 6:14 pm EDT (22:14 UTC), at RDU 6:43 pm EDT (22:43 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:09 pm EDT (23:09 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at RDU is before sunrise there (7:19 am EDT (11:19 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: Bradley International, Raleigh-Durham International.