Charlotte/Douglas International to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International CLT → BHM
304 nautical miles (350 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 253°, about 260° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7W). At 120 knots that is 2 h 37 min at the quickest height in today's winds (6,500 ft, a 4-knot headwind), arriving about 5:05 am CDT (10:05 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: 3,692 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 first 186 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 route from 98 to 98 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Near the route, 118 nm along the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Near the route, 245 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 CLT.
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 3 forecast points nearest it (GSP, ATL, BHM). 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 24 kt | +6 kt | 114 kt | 2 h 40 min | 5:08 am CDT (10:08 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 330° at 25 kt | +4 kt | 14 °C | 116 kt | 2 h 37 min | 5:05 am CDT (10:05 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 330° at 27 kt | +5 kt | 11 °C | 115 kt | 2 h 39 min | 5:07 am CDT (10:07 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 330° at 27 kt | +7 kt | 7 °C | 113 kt | 2 h 41 min | 5:09 am CDT (10:09 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 320° at 27 kt | +9 kt | 5 °C | 111 kt | 2 h 44 min | 5:12 am CDT (10:12 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 310° at 28 kt | +13 kt | 1 °C | 107 kt | 2 h 50 min | 5:18 am CDT (10:18 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 310° at 30 kt | +16 kt | -4 °C | 104 kt | 2 h 55 min | 5:23 am CDT (10:23 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 300° at 31 kt | +19 kt | -7 °C | 101 kt | 3 h 01 min | 5:29 am CDT (10:29 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 310° at 35 kt | +21 kt | -18 °C | 99 kt | 3 h 04 min | 5:32 am CDT (10:32 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 320° at 41 kt | +17 kt | -33 °C | 103 kt | 2 h 57 min | 5:25 am CDT (10:25 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 320° at 41 kt | +15 kt | -40 °C | 105 kt | 2 h 54 min | 5:22 am CDT (10:22 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 320° at 39 kt | +13 kt | -49 °C | 107 kt | 2 h 50 min | 5:18 am CDT (10:18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GSP | used from 0 nm out; 41 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° |
| ATL | used from 147 nm out; 42 nm from the line | 320/30 | 330/37 16° | 340/44 11° | 330/35 7° | 310/33 -6° | 300/38 -18° | 330/58 -33° | 330/48 -40° | 320/34 -49° |
| BHM | used from 245 nm out; 34 nm from the line | 310/19 | 330/20 17° | 320/28 11° | 340/21 6° | 310/22 -7° | 330/33 -17° | 330/50 -32° | 330/57 -41° | 330/41 -50° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLT Charlotte, NC | departure | no report just now | 747 ft | ||||
| EHO Shelby, NC | 29 nm out, 12 nm north of the line | no report just now | 846 ft | ||||
| GMU Greenville, SC | 69 nm out, 4 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,048 ft | ||||
| CEU Clemson, SC | 98 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 890 ft | ||||
| LZU Lawrenceville, GA | 167 nm out, 24 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,061 ft | ||||
| RYY Atlanta, GA | 196 nm out, 12 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,040 ft | ||||
| PYP Centre, AL | 235 nm out, 11 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 594 ft | ||||
| PLR Pell City, AL | 284 nm out, 10 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 484 ft | ||||
| BHM Birmingham, AL | destination | no report just now | 650 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,061 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At BHM when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 5:05 am CDT (10:05 UTC)
BHM 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 CLT 6:52 pm EDT (22:52 UTC), at BHM 6:17 pm CDT (23:17 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:42 pm CDT (23:42 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at BHM is before sunrise there (6:49 am CDT (11:49 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: Charlotte/Douglas International, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International.