Lovell Field to Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport CHA → DCA
454 nautical miles (522 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 057°, about 062° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 33 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 8-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:13 am EDT (14:13 UTC). 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: 578 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 whole route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, mist). Over the route from 10 to 316 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 6,000 ft. Over the route from 168 to 424 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 29,000 ft to 40,000 ft. Over the route from 207 to 237 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: 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, 434 nm along the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 24,000 ft to 33,000 ft. 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 CHA.
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 08:00–15:00 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 5 forecast points nearest it (TYS, TRI, ROA, EKN, RIC). 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 | 330° at 26 kt | 0 | 120 kt | 3 h 47 min | 10:27 am EDT (14:27 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 340° at 27 kt | +5 kt | 11 °C | 115 kt | 3 h 57 min | 10:37 am EDT (14:37 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 350° at 30 kt | +8 kt | 11 °C | 112 kt | 4 h 03 min | 10:43 am EDT (14:43 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 350° at 33 kt | +10 kt | 8 °C | 110 kt | 4 h 08 min | 10:48 am EDT (14:48 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 340° at 31 kt | +7 kt | 5 °C | 113 kt | 4 h 01 min | 10:41 am EDT (14:41 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 340° at 32 kt | +6 kt | 1 °C | 114 kt | 3 h 59 min | 10:39 am EDT (14:39 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 340° at 34 kt | +5 kt | -2 °C | 115 kt | 3 h 57 min | 10:37 am EDT (14:37 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 340° at 36 kt | +4 kt | -6 °C | 116 kt | 3 h 55 min | 10:35 am EDT (14:35 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 340° at 36 kt | +4 kt | -7 °C | 116 kt | 3 h 55 min | 10:35 am EDT (14:35 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 340° at 43 kt | +7 kt | -20 °C | 113 kt | 4 h 01 min | 10:41 am EDT (14:41 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 340° at 50 kt | +8 kt | -33 °C | 112 kt | 4 h 03 min | 10:43 am EDT (14:43 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 330° at 54 kt | +4 kt | -41 °C | 116 kt | 3 h 55 min | 10:35 am EDT (14:35 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 320° at 38 kt | −8 kt | -49 °C | 128 kt | 3 h 33 min | 10:13 am EDT (14:13 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 06:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 12:00 UTC for use 08:00 to 15:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TYS | used from 0 nm out; 51 nm from the line | 330/16 | 350/32 14° | 350/37 9° | 340/30 5° | 330/28 -6° | 340/36 -19° | 330/40 -33° | 330/51 -41° | 330/36 -51° |
| TRI | used from 99 nm out; 38 nm from the line | 340/25 11° | 350/37 9° | 350/34 6° | 340/39 -7° | 340/43 -19° | 340/55 -32° | 330/58 -42° | 320/37 -50° | |
| ROA | used from 247 nm out; 21 nm from the line | 310/32 | 340/32 14° | 350/25 9° | 340/24 3° | 340/42 -8° | 340/52 -20° | 350/62 -34° | 350/64 -39° | 310/44 -48° |
| EKN | used from 345 nm out; 72 nm from the line | 330/20 10° | 350/29 7° | 340/32 2° | 340/44 -8° | 350/50 -21° | 350/63 -35° | 340/69 -40° | 330/42 -50° | |
| RIC | used from 394 nm out; 67 nm from the line | 350/34 | 340/27 12° | 340/36 8° | 330/31 3° | 310/32 -9° | 320/34 -21° | 300/37 -34° | 290/37 -39° | 290/42 -46° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHA Chattanooga, TN | departure | no report just now | 682 ft | ||||
| MMI Athens, TN | 39 nm out, 2 nm west of the line | no report just now | 874 ft | ||||
| TYS Knoxville, TN | 79 nm out, 9 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 986 ft | ||||
| GKT Sevierville, TN | 99 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,013 ft | ||||
| TRI Bristol/Johnson/Kingsport, TN | 158 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,518 ft | ||||
| MKJ Marion/Wytheville, VA | 217 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 2,558 ft | ||||
| PSK Dublin, VA | 256 nm out, 7 nm south of the line | no report just now | 2,104 ft | ||||
| ROA Roanoke, VA | 286 nm out, 14 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,175 ft | ||||
| CHO Charlottesville, VA | 375 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 640 ft | ||||
| HEF Washington, DC | 434 nm out, 5 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 192 ft | ||||
| DCA Washington, DC | destination | no report just now | 14 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,558 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At DCA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:13 am EDT (14:13 UTC)
DCA 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 on the route, at the destination end · security · ZDC
- 6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 13 nm from the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · today · ZDC
Daylight
Sunset at CHA 7:10 pm EDT (23:10 UTC), at DCA 6:34 pm EDT (22:34 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:01 pm EDT (23:01 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: Lovell Field, Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport.