James M Cox Dayton International to Louisville Muhammad Ali International DAY → SDF
126 nautical miles (145 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 215°, about 221° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6W). At 120 knots that is 50 min at the quickest height in today's winds (30,000 ft, a 32-knot tailwind), arriving about 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now DAY is marginal VFR, wind from the west (280°) at 4 knots; SDF is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (210°) at 3 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: 2 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 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 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 (CVG, LOU). 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 | 340° at 24 kt | −13 kt | 133 kt | 57 min | 2:07 am EDT (06:07 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 350° at 31 kt | −22 kt | 15 °C | 142 kt | 53 min | 2:03 am EDT (06:03 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 350° at 33 kt | −23 kt | 11 °C | 143 kt | 53 min | 2:03 am EDT (06:03 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 350° at 31 kt | −22 kt | 6 °C | 142 kt | 53 min | 2:03 am EDT (06:03 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 350° at 29 kt | −20 kt | 2 °C | 140 kt | 54 min | 2:04 am EDT (06:04 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 340° at 29 kt | −17 kt | -1 °C | 137 kt | 55 min | 2:05 am EDT (06:05 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 330° at 29 kt | −15 kt | -4 °C | 135 kt | 56 min | 2:06 am EDT (06:06 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 330° at 29 kt | −13 kt | -7 °C | 133 kt | 57 min | 2:07 am EDT (06:07 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 340° at 43 kt | −25 kt | -20 °C | 145 kt | 52 min | 2:02 am EDT (06:02 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 340° at 58 kt | −32 kt | -35 °C | 152 kt | 50 min | 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 330° at 71 kt | −31 kt | -41 °C | 151 kt | 50 min | 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 320° at 37 kt | −11 kt | -49 °C | 131 kt | 58 min | 2:08 am EDT (06:08 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVG | used from 0 nm out; 32 nm from the line | 320/18 | 350/32 16° | 350/35 10° | 350/30 3° | 330/30 -7° | 340/44 -20° | 340/58 -35° | 330/72 -41° | 320/36 -49° |
| LOU | used from 97 nm out; 10 nm from the line | 310/18 | 340/28 16° | 340/29 10° | 350/27 3° | 330/27 -7° | 340/39 -19° | 330/58 -33° | 330/67 -41° | 330/40 -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
| Airport | Where | Conditions | Wind | Visibility | Ceiling | Elevation | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAY Dayton, OH | departure | marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,400 feet | from the west (280°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | 1,400 ft | 1,009 ft | 12:56 am EDT (04:56 UTC) |
| MWO Middletown, OH | 19 nm out, 7 nm southeast of the line | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 1,400 feet | calm | 7 mi | none | 650 ft | 04:55 UTC |
| CVG Covington, KY | 58 nm out, 13 nm east of the line, tower | marginal VFR Weather: mist | calm | 5 mi | none | 896 ft | 04:52 UTC |
| IMS Madison, IN | 87 nm out, 9 nm west of the line | low IFR Weather: fog | calm | 0.25 mi | none | 819 ft | 02:35 UTC |
| SDF Louisville, KY | destination | VFR | from the south-southwest (210°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 500 ft | 12:56 am EDT (04:56 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 SDF when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC)
Wind from the southwest at 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for SDF
- From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 2,500 feet
- From Sun 8:30 pm EDT (00:30 UTC): wind from the southwest at 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 3 knots, visibility 4 miles, mist, clear skies
- From Mon 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for DAY, the departure
- From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 800 feet
- From Mon 12:00 am EDT (04:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 4 knots, visibility 5 miles, mist, scattered clouds at 600 feet
- From Mon 5:00 am EDT (09:00 UTC): wind from the west 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 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 1:00 pm EDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8029 Cincinnati, OH, Friday, October 9, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 8 nm from the route, 58 nm along the route · a VIP movement · until 12 October · ZID
Daylight
Sunset at DAY 7:02 pm EDT (23:02 UTC), at SDF 7:09 pm EDT (23:09 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:36 pm EDT (23:36 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at SDF is before sunrise there (7:48 am EDT (11:48 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: James M Cox Dayton International, Louisville Muhammad Ali International.