Central IL Rgnl/Bloomington-Normal Airport to Alexandria International BMI → AEX
577 nautical miles (664 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 199°, about 202° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 4 h 16 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 15-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:26 pm CDT (17:26 UTC). 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: 2 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 1E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, mist, fog). Over the last 10 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 BMI.
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 (SPI, STL, CGI, MEM, LIT, SHV). 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 | 240° at 20 kt | +14 kt | 106 kt | 5 h 27 min | 1:37 pm CDT (18:37 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 240° at 19 kt | +14 kt | 16 °C | 106 kt | 5 h 27 min | 1:37 pm CDT (18:37 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 250° at 18 kt | +12 kt | 12 °C | 108 kt | 5 h 21 min | 1:31 pm CDT (18:31 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 250° at 18 kt | +11 kt | 9 °C | 109 kt | 5 h 18 min | 1:28 pm CDT (18:28 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 250° at 18 kt | +10 kt | 5 °C | 110 kt | 5 h 15 min | 1:25 pm CDT (18:25 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 260° at 19 kt | +9 kt | 1 °C | 111 kt | 5 h 12 min | 1:22 pm CDT (18:22 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 270° at 21 kt | +8 kt | -4 °C | 112 kt | 5 h 09 min | 1:19 pm CDT (18:19 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 22 kt | +7 kt | -7 °C | 113 kt | 5 h 06 min | 1:16 pm CDT (18:16 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 270° at 24 kt | +6 kt | -17 °C | 114 kt | 5 h 04 min | 1:14 pm CDT (18:14 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 290° at 41 kt | −3 kt | -30 °C | 123 kt | 4 h 41 min | 12:51 pm CDT (17:51 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 290° at 48 kt | −5 kt | -40 °C | 125 kt | 4 h 37 min | 12:47 pm CDT (17:47 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 46 kt | −15 kt | -50 °C | 135 kt | 4 h 16 min | 12:26 pm CDT (17:26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPI | used from 0 nm out; 31 nm from the line | 260/28 | 250/22 15° | 250/14 9° | 260/20 6° | 280/27 -7° | 280/34 -19° | 280/48 -32° | 280/59 -41° | 300/60 -49° |
| STL | used from 99 nm out; 31 nm from the line | 250/26 | 240/21 15° | 240/22 11° | 250/23 6° | 270/28 -7° | 260/30 -19° | 280/52 -31° | 280/57 -40° | 300/57 -49° |
| CGI | used from 149 nm out; 39 nm from the line | 260/22 | 250/15 15° | 250/13 11° | 250/16 6° | 270/29 -7° | 280/30 -18° | 290/40 -31° | 290/55 -40° | 300/51 -51° |
| MEM | used from 249 nm out; 76 nm from the line | 250/19 | 260/19 17° | 270/20 12° | 270/16 6° | 270/21 -6° | 290/27 -17° | 300/37 -30° | 300/49 -40° | 310/40 -51° |
| LIT | used from 348 nm out; 44 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° |
| SHV | used from 448 nm out; 100 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° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMI Bloomington/Normal, IL | departure | no report just now | 871 ft | ||||
| DEC Decatur, IL | 40 nm out, 15 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 681 ft | ||||
| ALN Alton/St Louis, IL | 109 nm out, 19 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 543 ft | ||||
| BLV Belleville, IL | 119 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 459 ft | ||||
| POF Poplar Bluff, MO | 229 nm out, 8 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 330 ft | ||||
| ARG Walnut Ridge, AR | 279 nm out, 8 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 279 ft | ||||
| DRP Colt, AR | 338 nm out, 16 nm east of the line | no report just now | 238 ft | ||||
| SGT Stuttgart, AR | 378 nm out, 11 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 224 ft | ||||
| CRT Crossett, AR | 458 nm out, 3 nm south of the line | no report just now | 183 ft | ||||
| MLU Monroe, LA | 497 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 78 ft | ||||
| AEX Alexandria, LA | destination | no report just now | 88 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 871 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At AEX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:26 pm CDT (17:26 UTC)
AEX 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 BMI 6:20 pm CDT (23:20 UTC), at AEX 6:42 pm CDT (23:42 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:06 pm CDT (00:06 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: Central IL Rgnl/Bloomington-Normal Airport, Alexandria International.