Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport to Nantucket Memorial DCA → ACK
351 nautical miles (404 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 064°, about 075° magnetic at the departure end (variation 11W). At 120 knots that is 1 h 43 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 85-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:55 pm EDT (02:55 UTC), after sunset at the destination. 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: 537 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 first 332 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the last 293 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 DCA.
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 20:00–03:00 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 3 forecast points nearest it (ACY, JFK, ACK). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,500 ft | 170° at 20 kt | −4 kt | 124 kt | 2 h 50 min | 12:02 am EDT (04:02 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 190° at 24 kt | −11 kt | 131 kt | 2 h 41 min | 11:53 pm EDT (03:53 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 210° at 25 kt | −19 kt | 11 °C | 139 kt | 2 h 32 min | 11:44 pm EDT (03:44 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 230° at 28 kt | −26 kt | 9 °C | 146 kt | 2 h 24 min | 11:36 pm EDT (03:36 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 230° at 30 kt | −29 kt | 6 °C | 149 kt | 2 h 21 min | 11:33 pm EDT (03:33 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 240° at 33 kt | −33 kt | 2 °C | 153 kt | 2 h 18 min | 11:30 pm EDT (03:30 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 240° at 37 kt | −36 kt | -2 °C | 156 kt | 2 h 15 min | 11:27 pm EDT (03:27 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 240° at 40 kt | −40 kt | -6 °C | 160 kt | 2 h 12 min | 11:24 pm EDT (03:24 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 240° at 41 kt | −41 kt | -7 °C | 161 kt | 2 h 11 min | 11:23 pm EDT (03:23 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 240° at 50 kt | −49 kt | -17 °C | 169 kt | 2 h 05 min | 11:17 pm EDT (03:17 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 230° at 69 kt | −68 kt | -31 °C | 188 kt | 1 h 52 min | 11:04 pm EDT (03:04 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 240° at 76 kt | −75 kt | -41 °C | 195 kt | 1 h 48 min | 11:00 pm EDT (03:00 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 240° at 85 kt | −85 kt | -54 °C | 205 kt | 1 h 43 min | 10:55 pm EDT (02:55 UTC) |
Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACY | used from 0 nm out; 96 nm from the line | 230/15 | 230/22 15° | 230/31 11° | 230/27 6° | 230/40 -7° | 230/51 -17° | 230/71 -31° | 230/81 -41° | 230/86 -53° |
| JFK | used from 146 nm out; 34 nm from the line | 140/43 | 170/35 13° | 230/18 9° | 250/25 5° | 240/40 -7° | 230/50 -17° | 230/75 -31° | 230/78 -41° | 230/88 -53° |
| ACK | used from 244 nm out; 83 nm from the line | 150/19 | 170/30 8° | 210/31 9° | 230/42 3° | 250/44 -7° | 250/50 -17° | 240/62 -32° | 250/71 -42° | 250/86 -55° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington, DC | departure | no report just now | 14 ft | ||||
| BWI Baltimore, MD | 20 nm out, 11 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 143 ft | ||||
| ILG Wilmington, DE | 78 nm out, 16 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 79 ft | ||||
| ACY Atlantic City, NJ | 117 nm out, 17 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 74 ft | ||||
| MJX Toms River, NJ | 146 nm out, 5 nm west of the line | no report just now | 86 ft | ||||
| FOK Westhampton Beach, NY | 234 nm out, 22 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 66 ft | ||||
| BID Block Island, RI | 283 nm out, 22 nm north of the line | no report just now | 107 ft | ||||
| MVY Vineyard Haven, MA | 332 nm out, 17 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 66 ft | ||||
| ACK Nantucket, MA | destination | no report just now | 46 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 143 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At ACK when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:55 pm EDT (02:55 UTC)
ACK has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA on the route, at the departure end · security · ZDC
- 6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 13 nm from the route, at the departure end · a VIP movement · today · ZDC
- 6/8800 Baltimore, MD, Saturday, October 17, 2026 through Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC 13 nm from the route, 29 nm along the route · drones kept away from a public gathering · starts Saturday 17 October · ZDC
- 6/8719 Greenwood, DE, Friday, October 16, 2026 through Saturday, October 17, 2026 UTC 24 nm from the route, 59 nm along the route · air shows/sports · starts Friday 16 October · ZDC
- 6/8886 Greenwood, DE, Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC 24 nm from the route, 59 nm along the route · air shows/sports · starts Sunday 18 October · ZDC
Daylight
Sunset at DCA 6:34 pm EDT (22:34 UTC), at ACK 6:04 pm EDT (22:04 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:32 pm EDT (22:32 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at ACK is before sunrise there (6:48 am EDT (10:48 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: Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport, Nantucket Memorial.