The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 2:37 am EDT (06:37 UTC)

John Glenn Columbus International to St. Louis Downtown Airport CMH → CPS

348 nautical miles (401 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 258°, about 265° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 03 min at the quickest height in today's winds (12,500 ft, a 6-knot headwind), arriving about 4:40 am CDT (09:40 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now CMH is marginal VFR, wind from the north-northwest (330°) at 8 knots; CPS is VFR, wind from the south-southeast (160°) at 4 knots. 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: 6 flights in the DOT's last twelve reported months, the route's page.

The return flight

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 first 219 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 CMH.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

  • MD83 climbing, 11 nm south, 1:04 am EDT (05:04 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. At the departure end, 11 nm south of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    CMH UA /OV LCK/TM 0504/FLDURC/TP MD83/SK B010 T037
    Report
    a routine report filed through CMH
    Where
    over LCK
    Time
    05:04 UTC
    Height
    during the climb
    Aircraft
    MD83
    Sky
    B010 T037

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 5 forecast points nearest it (CMH, CVG, IND, EVV, STL). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft300° at 16 kt+11 kt109 kt3 h 12 min4:49 am CDT (09:49 UTC)
6,500 ft310° at 17 kt+10 kt15 °C110 kt3 h 10 min4:47 am CDT (09:47 UTC)
8,500 ft320° at 19 kt+9 kt11 °C111 kt3 h 08 min4:45 am CDT (09:45 UTC)
10,500 ft320° at 18 kt+7 kt7 °C113 kt3 h 05 min4:42 am CDT (09:42 UTC)
12,500 ft330° at 16 kt+6 kt3 °C114 kt3 h 03 min4:40 am CDT (09:40 UTC)
14,500 ft320° at 19 kt+9 kt0 °C111 kt3 h 08 min4:45 am CDT (09:45 UTC)
16,500 ft310° at 22 kt+12 kt-4 °C108 kt3 h 13 min4:50 am CDT (09:50 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180310° at 24 kt+14 kt-7 °C106 kt3 h 17 min4:54 am CDT (09:54 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240320° at 32 kt+13 kt-19 °C107 kt3 h 15 min4:52 am CDT (09:52 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300330° at 44 kt+14 kt-34 °C106 kt3 h 17 min4:54 am CDT (09:54 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340320° at 59 kt+29 kt-42 °C91 kt3 h 49 min5:26 am CDT (10:26 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390320° at 53 kt+24 kt-50 °C96 kt3 h 38 min5:15 am CDT (10:15 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
CMHused from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line330/15340/22 14°340/24 9°340/23 4°340/35 -9°340/49 -20°340/58 -37°330/70 -42°340/55 -47°
CVGused from 50 nm out; 42 nm from the line320/18350/32 16°350/35 10°350/30 3°330/30 -7°340/44 -20°340/58 -35°330/72 -41°320/36 -49°
INDused from 99 nm out; 37 nm from the line290/16310/20 16°320/21 10°330/13 3°300/25 -7°320/32 -19°330/46 -34°320/61 -43°320/63 -50°
EVVused from 199 nm out; 65 nm from the line280/15290/12 17°310/16 10°320/13 5°310/22 -6°320/26 -18°320/38 -33°310/56 -41°320/55 -51°
STLused from 298 nm out; 34 nm from the line250/24250/24 16°260/23 9°270/16 6°260/25 -6°270/29 -19°290/34 -33°290/48 -41°290/54 -51°

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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
CMH Columbus, OH departure marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,400 feet from the north-northwest (330°) at 8 knots 10+ mi 1,400 ft 815 ft 1:51 am EDT (05:51 UTC)
UYF London, OH 30 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line IFR Sky: overcast at 900 feet from the northwest (320°) at 3 knots 10+ mi 900 ft 1,081 ft 06:35 UTC
DAY Dayton, OH 60 nm out, 8 nm north of the line, tower marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,200 feet from the west-northwest (290°) at 7 knots 10+ mi 1,200 ft 1,009 ft 05:56 UTC
RID Richmond, IN 90 nm out, 6 nm northwest of the line low IFR Sky: overcast at 100 feet Weather: fog calm 0.25 mi 100 ft 1,139 ft 06:15 UTC
BAK Columbus, IN 149 nm out, 13 nm southeast of the line, tower VFR calm 10+ mi none 656 ft 01:45 UTC
BMG Bloomington, IN 179 nm out, 11 nm south of the line, tower low IFR Sky: sky obscured at 100 feet Weather: fog calm 0.25 mi 100 ft 845 ft 06:31 UTC
SIV Sullivan, IN 219 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line no report just now 539 ft
VLA Vandalia, IL 298 nm out, 11 nm north of the line no report just now 537 ft
GRE Greenville, IL 308 nm out, 5 nm north of the line no report just now 540 ft
CPS Cahokia/St Louis, IL destination VFR from the south-southeast (160°) at 4 knots 10+ mi none 412 ft 12:53 am CDT (05:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,139 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At CPS when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 4:40 am CDT (09:40 UTC)

Wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for CPS
  • From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for CMH, the departure
  • From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,200 feet
  • From Mon 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the west at 4 knots, visibility 4 miles, mist, overcast at 800 feet
  • At times between Mon 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC) and 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): visibility 2 miles, mist, scattered clouds at 800 feet
  • From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 10,000 feet, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet

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 CMH 6:56 pm EDT (22:56 UTC), at CPS 6:27 pm CDT (23:27 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:53 pm CDT (23:53 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at CPS is before sunrise there (7:06 am CDT (12:06 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

Radar now, the central Great Lakes
Radar now, the central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar, the whole country
Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service
Surface analysis now
Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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: John Glenn Columbus International, St. Louis Downtown Airport.