The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 2:42 am EDT (06:42 UTC)

James M Cox Dayton International to Chicago O'Hare International DAY → ORD

209 nautical miles (240 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 308°, about 314° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6W). At 120 knots that is 1 h 55 min at the quickest height in today's winds (12,500 ft, a 11-knot headwind), arriving about 3:37 am CDT (08:37 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now DAY is marginal VFR, wind from the west-northwest (290°) at 7 knots; ORD is VFR, wind from the south (190°) 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: 6,170 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 169 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 DAY.

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 2 forecast points nearest it (FWA, JOT). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft290° at 18 kt+17 kt103 kt2 h 02 min3:44 am CDT (08:44 UTC)
6,500 ft310° at 18 kt+18 kt15 °C102 kt2 h 03 min3:45 am CDT (08:45 UTC)
8,500 ft310° at 16 kt+16 kt11 °C104 kt2 h 01 min3:43 am CDT (08:43 UTC)
10,500 ft320° at 13 kt+13 kt6 °C107 kt1 h 57 min3:39 am CDT (08:39 UTC)
12,500 ft320° at 12 kt+11 kt2 °C109 kt1 h 55 min3:37 am CDT (08:37 UTC)
14,500 ft310° at 16 kt+16 kt-2 °C104 kt2 h 01 min3:43 am CDT (08:43 UTC)
16,500 ft310° at 21 kt+21 kt-5 °C99 kt2 h 07 min3:49 am CDT (08:49 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180300° at 25 kt+25 kt-8 °C95 kt2 h 12 min3:54 am CDT (08:54 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240310° at 33 kt+33 kt-20 °C87 kt2 h 24 min4:06 am CDT (09:06 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300320° at 45 kt+43 kt-35 °C77 kt2 h 43 min4:25 am CDT (09:25 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340320° at 58 kt+57 kt-43 °C63 kt3 h 19 min5:01 am CDT (10:01 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390320° at 59 kt+58 kt-51 °C62 kt3 h 22 min5:04 am CDT (10:04 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
FWAused from 0 nm out; 55 nm from the line300/17320/20 16°330/20 10°340/15 3°310/27 -8°320/37 -20°330/52 -36°330/65 -43°330/60 -50°
JOTused from 149 nm out; 41 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
DAY Dayton, OH departure marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,200 feet from the west-northwest (290°) at 7 knots 10+ mi 1,200 ft 1,009 ft 1:56 am EDT (05:56 UTC)
VES Versailles, OH 20 nm out, 6 nm north of the line IFR Sky: overcast at 800 feet from the west (260°) at 2 knots 8 mi 800 ft 1,007 ft 06:15 UTC
MIE Muncie, IN 60 nm out, 17 nm southwest of the line, tower marginal VFR Weather: mist from the south (170°) at 3 knots 3 mi none 937 ft 06:01 UTC
GUS Peru, IN 99 nm out, 18 nm southwest of the line, tower VFR from the south (170°) at 4 knots 10+ mi none 810 ft 05:55 UTC
OXI Knox, IN 139 nm out, 2 nm north of the line marginal VFR Weather: mist from the south-southeast (160°) at 5 knots 5 mi none 685 ft 06:35 UTC
GYY Gary/Chicago, IN 179 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line, tower VFR from the south (190°) at 6 knots 10+ mi none 596 ft 06:35 UTC
ORD Chicago, IL destination VFR Sky: a few clouds at 30,000 feet from the south (190°) at 4 knots 10+ mi none 680 ft 12:51 am CDT (05:51 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,009 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At ORD when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 3:37 am CDT (08:37 UTC)

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

The whole forecast for ORD
  • 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 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 13 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 6:00 pm CDT (23:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 12,000 feet
The forecast for DAY, the departure
  • From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the west at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,200 feet
  • From Mon 3:00 am EDT (07:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 3 knots, visibility 3 miles, mist, scattered clouds at 1,200 feet
  • From Mon 5:00 am EDT (09:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 3 knots, visibility 2 miles, mist, scattered clouds at 200 feet
  • At times between Mon 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC) and 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): visibility ¼ mile, fog, sky obscured at 200 feet
  • From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, 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 DAY 7:02 pm EDT (23:02 UTC), at ORD 6:15 pm CDT (23:15 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:43 pm CDT (23:43 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at ORD is before sunrise there (7:00 am CDT (12:00 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: James M Cox Dayton International, Chicago O'Hare International.