Essex County to Laurence G Hanscom Field CDW → BED
165 nautical miles (190 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 054°, about 067° magnetic at the departure end (variation 13W). At 120 knots that is 47 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 89-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:33 pm EDT (02:33 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: 32 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 2E: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 31,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 10:55 pm EDT (02:55 UTC). Over the first 29 nm of the route.
as issued
WSUS31 KKCI 120055 MKCE WST 120055 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 2E VALID UNTIL 0255Z CT NY NJ PA DE MD AND NJ NY CT CSTL WTRS FROM 30NE SAX-30SSW HTO-30ESE EMI-50WSW HAR-30NE SAX AREA EMBD TS MOV FROM 22020KT. TOPS TO FL310.
- 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 whole route.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 13,000 ft. Over the whole route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the last 58 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 1C: moderate icing up to 22,000 ft. Over the last 39 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 CDW.
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 3 forecast points nearest it (JFK, BDL, BOS). 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 | 150° at 31 kt | −2 kt | 122 kt | 1 h 21 min | 11:07 pm EDT (03:07 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 170° at 29 kt | −13 kt | 133 kt | 1 h 14 min | 11:00 pm EDT (03:00 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 200° at 27 kt | −23 kt | 9 °C | 143 kt | 1 h 09 min | 10:55 pm EDT (02:55 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 230° at 29 kt | −29 kt | 7 °C | 149 kt | 1 h 06 min | 10:52 pm EDT (02:52 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 250° at 28 kt | −28 kt | 4 °C | 148 kt | 1 h 07 min | 10:53 pm EDT (02:53 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 250° at 32 kt | −31 kt | 0 °C | 151 kt | 1 h 06 min | 10:52 pm EDT (02:52 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 250° at 36 kt | −35 kt | -3 °C | 155 kt | 1 h 04 min | 10:50 pm EDT (02:50 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 250° at 40 kt | −39 kt | -7 °C | 159 kt | 1 h 02 min | 10:48 pm EDT (02:48 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 41 kt | −40 kt | -8 °C | 160 kt | 1 h 02 min | 10:48 pm EDT (02:48 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 240° at 48 kt | −48 kt | -18 °C | 168 kt | 59 min | 10:45 pm EDT (02:45 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 240° at 63 kt | −63 kt | -32 °C | 183 kt | 54 min | 10:40 pm EDT (02:40 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 240° at 78 kt | −78 kt | -41 °C | 198 kt | 50 min | 10:36 pm EDT (02:36 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 240° at 89 kt | −89 kt | -54 °C | 209 kt | 47 min | 10:33 pm EDT (02:33 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JFK | used from 0 nm out; 29 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° |
| BDL | used from 48 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 140/28 | 180/29 10° | 220/38 8° | 250/30 3° | 250/40 -8° | 240/46 -18° | 240/58 -32° | 240/80 -41° | 240/89 -55° |
| BOS | used from 145 nm out; 21 nm from the line | 160/27 | 190/23 9° | 260/20 7° | 260/32 1° | 250/48 -7° | 240/56 -17° | 240/59 -33° | 250/75 -43° | 250/94 -55° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDW Caldwell, NJ | departure | no report just now | 172 ft | ||||
| HPN White Plains, NY | 29 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 439 ft | ||||
| DXR Danbury, CT | 48 nm out, 3 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 456 ft | ||||
| HFD Hartford, CT | 87 nm out, 3 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 18 ft | ||||
| ORH Worcester, MA | 136 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,009 ft | ||||
| BED Bedford, MA | destination | no report just now | 132 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,009 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At BED when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:33 pm EDT (02:33 UTC)
BED has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 5/2811 NEW YORK, NY, Monday, October 20, 2025 through Tuesday, October 20, 2026 Local 13 nm from the route, 10 nm along the route · security · until 20 October · ZNY
- 6/7153 North Sicuate, RI, Saturday, October 10, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 20 nm from the route, 136 nm along the route · drones kept away from a public gathering · until 12 October · ZBW
- 6/8802 Foxborough, MA, Saturday, October 17, 2026 through Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC 19 nm from the route, 155 nm along the route · drones kept away from a public gathering · starts Saturday 17 October · ZBW
Daylight
Sunset at CDW 6:21 pm EDT (22:21 UTC), at BED 6:08 pm EDT (22:08 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:36 pm EDT (22:36 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at BED is after sunset there (6:10 pm EDT (22:10 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: Essex County, Laurence G Hanscom Field.