The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Sun 9:36 pm CDT (02:36 UTC)

University Of Illinois/Willard Airport to Chicago Executive CMI → PWK

126 nautical miles (145 statute miles) north on a straight line, true course 008°, about 011° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 59 min at the quickest height in today's winds (3,500 ft, a 9-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:35 pm CDT (03:35 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now CMI is VFR, wind from the south (180°) at 5 knots; PWK is VFR, wind calm. 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: 5 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

No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.

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 CMI.

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 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 1 forecast point nearest it (JOT). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
3,500 ft250° at 23 kt−9 kt129 kt59 min10:35 pm CDT (03:35 UTC)
5,500 ft270° at 22 kt−4 kt124 kt1 h 01 min10:37 pm CDT (03:37 UTC)
7,500 ft260° at 19 kt−5 kt12 °C125 kt1 h10:36 pm CDT (03:36 UTC)
9,500 ft250° at 15 kt−7 kt9 °C127 kt1 h10:36 pm CDT (03:36 UTC)
11,500 ft240° at 10 kt−6 kt5 °C126 kt1 h10:36 pm CDT (03:36 UTC)
13,500 ft260° at 12 kt−4 kt1 °C124 kt1 h 01 min10:37 pm CDT (03:37 UTC)
15,500 ft270° at 16 kt−2 kt-2 °C122 kt1 h 02 min10:38 pm CDT (03:38 UTC)
17,500 ft280° at 21 kt0-6 °C120 kt1 h 03 min10:39 pm CDT (03:39 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180280° at 22 kt+1 kt-7 °C119 kt1 h 04 min10:40 pm CDT (03:40 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240280° at 29 kt+1 kt-19 °C119 kt1 h 04 min10:40 pm CDT (03:40 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300300° at 29 kt+11 kt-34 °C109 kt1 h 09 min10:45 pm CDT (03:45 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340290° at 50 kt+11 kt-43 °C109 kt1 h 09 min10:45 pm CDT (03:45 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390300° at 64 kt+24 kt-52 °C96 kt1 h 19 min10:55 pm CDT (03:55 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
JOTused from 0 nm out; 65 nm from the line250/23270/22 15°250/16 10°240/9 4°280/22 -7°280/29 -19°300/29 -34°290/50 -43°300/64 -52°

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
CMI Champaign/Urbana, IL departure VFR from the south (180°) at 5 knots 10+ mi none 754 ft 8:53 pm CDT (01:53 UTC)
TIP Rantoul, IL 19 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line VFR from the south-southwest (200°) at 3 knots 10+ mi none 737 ft 02:15 UTC
IKK Kankakee, IL 68 nm out, 12 nm southeast of the line VFR calm 10+ mi none 629 ft 02:15 UTC
LOT Chicago/Romeoville, IL 97 nm out, 5 nm west of the line, tower VFR from the south-southeast (160°) at 5 knots 10+ mi none 679 ft 02:10 UTC
PWK Chicago/Prospect Heights/Wheeling, IL destination VFR Sky: a few clouds at 6,500 feet, a few clouds at 11,000 feet calm 10+ mi none 644 ft 8:52 pm CDT (01:52 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 754 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At PWK when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:35 pm CDT (03:35 UTC)

PWK has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.

The forecast for CMI, the departure
  • From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 18,000 feet, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 19, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 10,000 feet, a broken layer at 18,000 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 CMI 6:18 pm CDT (23:18 UTC), at PWK 6:15 pm CDT (23:15 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:43 pm CDT (23:43 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at PWK is after sunset there (6:16 pm CDT (23:16 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 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: University Of Illinois/Willard Airport, Chicago Executive.