Columbia Metro Airport to Asheville Regional CAE → AVL
114 nautical miles (131 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 322°, about 329° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7W). At 120 knots that is 1 h 06 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 17-knot headwind), arriving about 3:52 am EDT (07:52 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now CAE is VFR, wind from the west-southwest (250°) at 5 knots; AVL is VFR, wind from the north-northwest (340°) at 11 knots, gusting to 18. 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 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 TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 10,000 ft. Over the last 86 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 29,000 ft to 40,000 ft. Over the last 29 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Near the route, at the destination end.
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 CAE.
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 02:00–09:00 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 2 forecast points nearest it (CAE, GSP). 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 | 330° at 18 kt | +17 kt | 103 kt | 1 h 06 min | 3:52 am EDT (07:52 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 330° at 17 kt | +17 kt | 12 °C | 103 kt | 1 h 06 min | 3:52 am EDT (07:52 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 330° at 19 kt | +19 kt | 9 °C | 101 kt | 1 h 08 min | 3:54 am EDT (07:54 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 310° at 22 kt | +22 kt | 7 °C | 98 kt | 1 h 10 min | 3:56 am EDT (07:56 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 300° at 25 kt | +24 kt | 4 °C | 96 kt | 1 h 11 min | 3:57 am EDT (07:57 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 300° at 28 kt | +26 kt | 0 °C | 94 kt | 1 h 13 min | 3:59 am EDT (07:59 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 290° at 31 kt | +27 kt | -4 °C | 93 kt | 1 h 14 min | 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 290° at 33 kt | +29 kt | -7 °C | 91 kt | 1 h 15 min | 4:01 am EDT (08:01 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 290° at 36 kt | +29 kt | -18 °C | 91 kt | 1 h 15 min | 4:01 am EDT (08:01 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 270° at 34 kt | +21 kt | -33 °C | 99 kt | 1 h 09 min | 3:55 am EDT (07:55 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 270° at 33 kt | +20 kt | -39 °C | 100 kt | 1 h 08 min | 3:54 am EDT (07:54 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 300° at 37 kt | +34 kt | -49 °C | 86 kt | 1 h 20 min | 4:06 am EDT (08:06 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 00:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 06:00 UTC for use 02:00 to 09:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAE | used from 0 nm out; 24 nm from the line | 330/15 | 330/13 12° | 330/22 9° | 300/26 6° | 280/33 -7° | 270/38 -18° | 250/45 -33° | 240/46 -40° | 270/38 -49° |
| GSP | used from 48 nm out; 11 nm from the line | 320/22 | 340/19 13° | 320/18 8° | 310/24 5° | 300/34 -7° | 300/36 -18° | 290/30 -33° | 300/32 -39° | 320/42 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAE Columbia, SC | departure | VFR | from the west-southwest (250°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 235 ft | 1:56 am EDT (05:56 UTC) |
| EOE Newberry, SC | 38 nm out, 8 nm south of the line | VFR | from the southwest (220°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 570 ft | 06:35 UTC |
| GSP Greer, SC | 76 nm out, 8 nm west of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 963 ft | 05:53 UTC |
| AVL Asheville, NC | destination | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 2,300 feet | from the north-northwest (340°) at 11 knots, gusting to 18 | 10+ mi | none | 2,163 ft | 2:35 am EDT (06:35 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,163 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At AVL when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 3:52 am EDT (07:52 UTC)
Wind from the north at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 3,000 feet VFR
At times between Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC) and 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC): a broken layer at 3,000 feet marginal VFR
The whole forecast for AVL
- From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the north at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 3,000 feet
- At times between Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC) and 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC): a broken layer at 3,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 16 knots, gusting to 29, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 3,500 feet
- From Mon 5:00 pm EDT (21:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 pm EDT (01:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for CAE, the departure
- From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
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 CAE 6:54 pm EDT (22:54 UTC), at AVL 6:59 pm EDT (22:59 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:24 pm EDT (23:24 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at AVL is before sunrise there (7:33 am EDT (11:33 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: Columbia Metro Airport, Asheville Regional.