Central IL Rgnl/Bloomington-Normal Airport to Perot Fld/Fort Worth Alliance Airport BMI → AFW
604 nautical miles (695 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 225°, about 228° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 5 h 18 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 6-knot headwind), arriving about 1:57 am CDT (06:57 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now BMI is VFR, wind from the south (170°) at 5 knots; AFW is VFR, wind from the south-southeast (160°) at 10 knots. 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
No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.
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
No pilot reports within 50 nautical miles of the line in the last three hours.
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 6 forecast points nearest it (SPI, STL, COU, SGF, FSM, DAL). 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 | 210° at 17 kt | +17 kt | 103 kt | 5 h 52 min | 2:31 am CDT (07:31 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 220° at 18 kt | +18 kt | 15 °C | 102 kt | 5 h 55 min | 2:34 am CDT (07:34 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 240° at 22 kt | +21 kt | 12 °C | 99 kt | 6 h 06 min | 2:45 am CDT (07:45 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 250° at 22 kt | +20 kt | 9 °C | 100 kt | 6 h 02 min | 2:41 am CDT (07:41 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 260° at 21 kt | +17 kt | 6 °C | 103 kt | 5 h 52 min | 2:31 am CDT (07:31 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 260° at 20 kt | +15 kt | 2 °C | 105 kt | 5 h 45 min | 2:24 am CDT (07:24 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 270° at 19 kt | +13 kt | -3 °C | 107 kt | 5 h 39 min | 2:18 am CDT (07:18 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 280° at 19 kt | +11 kt | -6 °C | 109 kt | 5 h 32 min | 2:11 am CDT (07:11 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 290° at 19 kt | +9 kt | -17 °C | 111 kt | 5 h 26 min | 2:05 am CDT (07:05 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 300° at 36 kt | +10 kt | -31 °C | 110 kt | 5 h 29 min | 2:08 am CDT (07:08 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 300° at 41 kt | +9 kt | -41 °C | 111 kt | 5 h 26 min | 2:05 am CDT (07:05 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 49 kt | +6 kt | -52 °C | 114 kt | 5 h 18 min | 1:57 am CDT (06:57 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPI | used from 0 nm out; 27 nm from the line | 210/13 | 260/11 17° | 270/18 10° | 290/21 4° | 310/20 -8° | 330/25 -19° | 320/49 -34° | 320/60 -44° | 320/59 -50° |
| STL | used from 99 nm out; 24 nm from the line | 210/13 | 260/16 17° | 270/21 10° | 280/24 5° | 310/20 -7° | 320/22 -18° | 320/44 -33° | 320/59 -43° | 310/69 -51° |
| COU | used from 149 nm out; 42 nm from the line | 210/16 | 220/19 15° | 240/33 10° | 250/29 7° | 280/21 -6° | 280/19 -18° | 300/34 -31° | 300/40 -42° | 300/60 -52° |
| SGF | used from 248 nm out; 23 nm from the line | 210/21 | 210/21 16° | 240/28 12° | 260/24 7° | 280/21 -6° | 280/26 -18° | 290/38 -31° | 290/37 -41° | 300/49 -52° |
| FSM | used from 347 nm out; 37 nm from the line | 200/18 | 210/19 15° | 230/22 13° | 250/18 7° | 270/20 -5° | 280/24 -16° | 280/35 -30° | 290/37 -40° | 300/40 -52° |
| DAL | used from 495 nm out; 79 nm from the line | 180/21 | 190/24 15° | 230/20 12° | 220/23 8° | 240/22 -5° | 230/18 -15° | 280/33 -29° | 280/36 -39° | 300/33 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMI Bloomington/Normal, IL | departure | VFR | from the south (170°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 871 ft | 7:56 pm CDT (00:56 UTC) |
| SPI Springfield, IL | 50 nm out, 3 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southeast (160°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 597 ft | 00:52 UTC |
| STL St Louis, MO | 119 nm out, 24 nm southeast of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 feet | from the southeast (130°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 617 ft | 00:51 UTC |
| SUS St Louis, MO | 139 nm out, 18 nm southeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southeast (150°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 463 ft | 00:54 UTC |
| TBN Fort Leonard Wood, MO | 218 nm out, 6 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (170°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,159 ft | 00:55 UTC |
| SGF Springfield, MO | 287 nm out, 20 nm northwest of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (210°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,268 ft | 00:52 UTC |
| ASG Springdale, AR | 356 nm out, 4 nm northwest of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (180°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,352 ft | 00:48 UTC |
| FYV Fayetteville, AR | 366 nm out, 2 nm east of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 1,252 ft | 00:53 UTC |
| GZL Stigler, OK | 426 nm out, 5 nm west of the line | VFR | from the south (180°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 599 ft | 01:15 UTC |
| DUA Durant, OK | 535 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line | VFR | from the south-southeast (150°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | none | 699 ft | 01:15 UTC |
| GYI Sherman/Denison, TX | 555 nm out, 5 nm north of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southeast (150°) at 9 knots | 10+ mi | none | 749 ft | 01:15 UTC |
| AFW Fort Worth, TX | destination | VFR | from the south-southeast (160°) at 10 knots | 10+ mi | none | 723 ft | 7:53 pm CDT (00:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,352 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At AFW when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:57 am CDT (06:57 UTC)
Wind from the south at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for AFW
- From Sun 8:00 pm CDT (01:00 UTC): wind from the south at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south at 13 knots, gusting to 23, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 23,000 feet
The forecast for BMI, the departure
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 3:00 am CDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 18,000 feet, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 21, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 10,000 feet, a broken layer at 18,000 feet
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 9/2934 DALLAS, TX 23 nm from the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · ZFW
- 6/8646 Arlington, TX, Thursday, October 15, 2026 through Friday, October 16, 2026 UTC 18 nm from the route, at the destination end · drones kept away from a public gathering · starts Thursday 15 October · ZFW
Daylight
Sunset at BMI 6:20 pm CDT (23:20 UTC), at AFW 6:59 pm CDT (23:59 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:24 pm CDT (00:24 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at AFW is before sunrise there (7:31 am CDT (12:31 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, Perot Fld/Fort Worth Alliance Airport.