The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 2:51 am EDT (06:51 UTC)

John Glenn Columbus International to Blue Grass Airport CMH → LEX

142 nautical miles (164 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 215°, about 222° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7W). At 120 knots that is 55 min at the quickest height in today's winds (30,000 ft, a 34-knot tailwind), arriving about 3:46 am EDT (07:46 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now CMH is marginal VFR, wind from the north-northwest (330°) at 8 knots; LEX is low IFR, wind from the southwest (230°) 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: 4 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 whole 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, 5 nm southeast, 1:04 am EDT (05:04 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. 9 nm along the route, 5 nm southeast 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 2 forecast points nearest it (CMH, CVG). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft340° at 22 kt−12 kt132 kt1 h 05 min3:56 am EDT (07:56 UTC)
6,500 ft350° at 29 kt−20 kt14 °C140 kt1 h 01 min3:52 am EDT (07:52 UTC)
8,500 ft350° at 31 kt−21 kt11 °C141 kt1 h3:51 am EDT (07:51 UTC)
10,500 ft350° at 29 kt−20 kt6 °C140 kt1 h 01 min3:52 am EDT (07:52 UTC)
12,500 ft350° at 28 kt−18 kt2 °C138 kt1 h 02 min3:53 am EDT (07:53 UTC)
14,500 ft340° at 29 kt−17 kt-1 °C137 kt1 h 02 min3:53 am EDT (07:53 UTC)
16,500 ft340° at 30 kt−16 kt-5 °C136 kt1 h 03 min3:54 am EDT (07:54 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180330° at 32 kt−15 kt-8 °C135 kt1 h 03 min3:54 am EDT (07:54 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240340° at 46 kt−27 kt-20 °C147 kt58 min3:49 am EDT (07:49 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300340° at 58 kt−34 kt-36 °C154 kt55 min3:46 am EDT (07:46 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340330° at 71 kt−31 kt-41 °C151 kt56 min3:47 am EDT (07:47 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390330° at 42 kt−17 kt-48 °C137 kt1 h 02 min3:53 am EDT (07:53 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; 24 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 47 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°

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)
ILN Wilmington, OH 47 nm out, 16 nm west of the line, tower marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,200 feet from the west-northwest (300°) at 6 knots 10+ mi 1,200 ft 1,076 ft 05:54 UTC
HOC Hillsboro, OH 57 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line no report just now 977 ft
FGX Flemingsburg, KY 95 nm out, 17 nm southeast of the line marginal VFR Sky: a broken layer at 1,400 feet, overcast at 1,900 feet from the west-northwest (300°) at 6 knots 10+ mi 1,400 ft 913 ft 06:35 UTC
LEX Lexington, KY destination low IFR Sky: overcast at 200 feet Weather: fog from the southwest (230°) at 4 knots 0.5 mi 200 ft 979 ft 2:38 am EDT (06:38 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,076 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At LEX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 3:46 am EDT (07:46 UTC)

Wind from the west at 4 knots, visibility ½ mile, fog, clear skies low IFR

The whole forecast for LEX
  • From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the west at 4 knots, visibility ½ mile, fog, clear skies
  • At times between Mon 5:00 am EDT (09:00 UTC) and 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): visibility ¼ mile, fog, overcast at 100 feet
  • From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 3 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 LEX 7:05 pm EDT (23:05 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:31 pm EDT (23:31 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at LEX 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

Radar now, the central Great Lakes
Radar now, the central Great Lakes · 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, Blue Grass Airport.