Columbia Metro Airport to Oakland County International CAE → PTK
535 nautical miles (616 statute miles) north on a straight line, true course 349°, about 356° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7W). At 120 knots that is 4 h 05 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 11-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:33 am EDT (04:33 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 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
- SIGMET E17E: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 31,000 ft, moving from the west at 15 knots, until 9:55 pm EDT (01:55 UTC). Over the route from 228 to 327 nm out.
as issued
WSUS31 KKCI 112355 MKCE WST 112355 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 17E VALID UNTIL 0155Z PA MD VA NC WV OH KY FROM 30WSW EWC-20E RIC-70NNE ILM-70W BKW-10ESE APE-30WSW EWC AREA TS MOV FROM 28015KT. TOPS TO FL310.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 7,000 ft. Over the route from 79 to 198 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 129 to 277 nm out.
- 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 357 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 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 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 (CAE, GSP, TRI, CRW, CMH, CLE). 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 | 310° at 17 kt | +14 kt | 11 °C | 106 kt | 5 h 03 min | 1:31 am EDT (05:31 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 310° at 18 kt | +15 kt | 11 °C | 105 kt | 5 h 06 min | 1:34 am EDT (05:34 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 310° at 17 kt | +14 kt | 9 °C | 106 kt | 5 h 03 min | 1:31 am EDT (05:31 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 310° at 17 kt | +14 kt | 5 °C | 106 kt | 5 h 03 min | 1:31 am EDT (05:31 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 310° at 16 kt | +13 kt | 2 °C | 107 kt | 5 h | 1:28 am EDT (05:28 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 310° at 18 kt | +14 kt | -2 °C | 106 kt | 5 h 03 min | 1:31 am EDT (05:31 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 310° at 19 kt | +15 kt | -6 °C | 105 kt | 5 h 06 min | 1:34 am EDT (05:34 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 310° at 20 kt | +15 kt | -9 °C | 105 kt | 5 h 06 min | 1:34 am EDT (05:34 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 19 kt | +8 kt | -21 °C | 112 kt | 4 h 47 min | 1:15 am EDT (05:15 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 260° at 27 kt | +2 kt | -32 °C | 118 kt | 4 h 32 min | 1:00 am EDT (05:00 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 240° at 36 kt | −10 kt | -39 °C | 130 kt | 4 h 07 min | 12:35 am EDT (04:35 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 240° at 40 kt | −11 kt | -48 °C | 131 kt | 4 h 05 min | 12:33 am EDT (04:33 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° |
| GSP | used from 50 nm out; 43 nm from the line | 300/22 | 310/22 11° | 300/22 7° | 290/28 5° | 270/36 -5° | 250/42 -18° | 230/54 -31° | 230/59 -40° | 230/65 -50° |
| TRI | used from 99 nm out; 50 nm from the line | 310/28 11° | 320/32 7° | 330/30 2° | 300/28 -9° | 280/34 -21° | 250/37 -31° | 240/39 -38° | 250/35 -48° | |
| CRW | used from 198 nm out; 52 nm from the line | 320/16 | 310/16 12° | 320/12 7° | 320/12 2° | 330/15 -11° | 280/11 -22° | 230/26 -30° | 240/33 -37° | 240/37 -47° |
| CMH | used from 297 nm out; 52 nm from the line | 340/14 | 320/13 12° | 350/12 8° | 360/10 2° | 350/27 -10° | 340/20 -22° | 320/31 -35° | 270/25 -39° | 260/32 -48° |
| CLE | used from 446 nm out; 58 nm from the line | 340/5 | 320/13 14° | 300/12 8° | 310/10 2° | 310/14 -10° | 340/14 -23° | 320/27 -35° | 260/28 -40° | 250/36 -48° |
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 | ||||
| FDW Winnsboro, SC | 20 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 577 ft | ||||
| CLT Charlotte, NC | 69 nm out, 23 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 747 ft | ||||
| HKY Hickory, NC | 109 nm out, 8 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,189 ft | ||||
| JFZ Richlands, VA | 188 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 2,653 ft | ||||
| EBD Williamson, WV | 228 nm out, 4 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,883 ft | ||||
| HTS Huntington, WV | 277 nm out, 16 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 828 ft | ||||
| LCK Columbus, OH | 367 nm out, 15 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 743 ft | ||||
| CMH Columbus, OH | 376 nm out, 11 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 815 ft | ||||
| PCW Port Clinton, OH | 466 nm out, 10 nm east of the line | no report just now | 590 ft | ||||
| DTW Detroit, MI | 505 nm out, 4 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 645 ft | ||||
| PTK Pontiac, MI | destination | no report just now | 980 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,653 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At PTK when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:33 am EDT (04:33 UTC)
PTK 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 CAE 6:54 pm EDT (22:54 UTC), at PTK 6:56 pm EDT (22:56 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:24 pm EDT (23:24 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at PTK is before sunrise there (7:43 am EDT (11:43 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, Oakland County International.