Columbia Metro Airport to Laguardia Airport CAE → LGA
536 nautical miles (617 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 038°, about 045° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7W). At 120 knots that is 2 h 39 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 82-knot tailwind), arriving about 11:46 pm EDT (03:46 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: 2,402 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 last 238 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Near the route, 308 nm along the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the last 129 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, 507 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 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 20:00–03:00 UTC · at 120 knots true airspeed
The eastbound cruising heights for this course (VFR: odd 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 (CAE, FLO, RDU, RIC, ACY, JFK). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,500 ft | 210° at 21 kt | −21 kt | 141 kt | 3 h 48 min | 12:55 am EDT (04:55 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 220° at 20 kt | −20 kt | 140 kt | 3 h 50 min | 12:57 am EDT (04:57 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 230° at 24 kt | −24 kt | 12 °C | 144 kt | 3 h 43 min | 12:50 am EDT (04:50 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 230° at 29 kt | −29 kt | 10 °C | 149 kt | 3 h 36 min | 12:43 am EDT (04:43 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 230° at 32 kt | −31 kt | 7 °C | 151 kt | 3 h 33 min | 12:40 am EDT (04:40 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 230° at 35 kt | −34 kt | 3 °C | 154 kt | 3 h 29 min | 12:36 am EDT (04:36 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 230° at 38 kt | −37 kt | -1 °C | 157 kt | 3 h 25 min | 12:32 am EDT (04:32 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 230° at 41 kt | −40 kt | -5 °C | 160 kt | 3 h 21 min | 12:28 am EDT (04:28 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 42 kt | −41 kt | -6 °C | 161 kt | 3 h 20 min | 12:27 am EDT (04:27 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 61 kt | −60 kt | -16 °C | 180 kt | 2 h 59 min | 12:06 am EDT (04:06 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 78 kt | −77 kt | -30 °C | 197 kt | 2 h 43 min | 11:50 pm EDT (03:50 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 220° at 82 kt | −82 kt | -40 °C | 202 kt | 2 h 39 min | 11:46 pm EDT (03:46 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 220° at 80 kt | −80 kt | -52 °C | 200 kt | 2 h 41 min | 11:48 pm EDT (03:48 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAE | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 260/27 | 310/26 11° | 280/31 9° | 270/36 7° | 250/39 -4° | 230/57 -16° | 220/74 -30° | 220/83 -40° | 220/73 -51° |
| FLO | used from 50 nm out; 49 nm from the line | 240/25 | 270/23 11° | 250/36 10° | 240/38 7° | 240/50 -4° | 230/66 -15° | 220/75 -30° | 210/77 -40° | 220/73 -52° |
| RDU | used from 99 nm out; 42 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° |
| RIC | used from 199 nm out; 60 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° |
| ACY | used from 348 nm out; 88 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° |
| JFK | used from 497 nm out; 19 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° |
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 | no report just now | 235 ft | ||||
| CDN Camden, SC | 30 nm out, 10 nm east of the line | no report just now | 302 ft | ||||
| VUJ Albemarle, NC | 99 nm out, 17 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 609 ft | ||||
| RDU Raleigh/Durham, NC | 159 nm out, 17 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 435 ft | ||||
| TDF Roxboro, NC | 179 nm out, 7 nm west of the line | no report just now | 608 ft | ||||
| BKT Blackstone, VA | 248 nm out, 5 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 437 ft | ||||
| RIC Richmond, VA | 278 nm out, 10 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 167 ft | ||||
| CGE Cambridge, MD | 368 nm out, 15 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 19 ft | ||||
| ESN Easton, MD | 377 nm out, 4 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 72 ft | ||||
| PHL Philadelphia, PA | 457 nm out, 11 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 35 ft | ||||
| TTN Trenton, NJ | 487 nm out, 12 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 212 ft | ||||
| LGA New York, NY | destination | no report just now | 20 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 609 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At LGA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 11:46 pm EDT (03:46 UTC)
LGA has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA 21 nm from the route, 358 nm along the route · security · ZDC
- 6/8719 Greenwood, DE, Friday, October 16, 2026 through Saturday, October 17, 2026 UTC 12 nm from the route, 397 nm along the route · air shows/sports · starts Friday 16 October · ZDC
- 6/8886 Greenwood, DE, Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC 12 nm from the route, 397 nm along the route · air shows/sports · starts Sunday 18 October · ZDC
- 5/2811 NEW YORK, NY, Monday, October 20, 2025 through Tuesday, October 20, 2026 Local 4 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · until 20 October · ZNY
Daylight
Sunset at CAE 6:54 pm EDT (22:54 UTC), at LGA 6:20 pm EDT (22:20 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:47 pm EDT (22:47 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at LGA is before sunrise there (7:03 am EDT (11:03 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, Laguardia Airport.