Detroit Metro Wayne County to Bradley International DTW → BDL
475 nautical miles (547 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 088°, about 095° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 05 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 34-knot tailwind), arriving about 1:08 pm EDT (17:08 UTC). 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: 2,493 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 route from 129 to 357 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, mist). Over the route from 198 to 426 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 24,000 ft to 40,000 ft. Over the last 59 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Near the route, 456 nm along 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 DTW.
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 08:00–15:00 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 6 forecast points nearest it (CLE, BUF, SYR, AVP, ALB, BDL). 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 | 340° at 13 kt | −4 kt | 124 kt | 3 h 50 min | 1:53 pm EDT (17:53 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 350° at 17 kt | −3 kt | 123 kt | 3 h 52 min | 1:55 pm EDT (17:55 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 350° at 18 kt | −4 kt | 10 °C | 124 kt | 3 h 50 min | 1:53 pm EDT (17:53 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 340° at 19 kt | −6 kt | 7 °C | 126 kt | 3 h 46 min | 1:49 pm EDT (17:49 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 330° at 21 kt | −10 kt | 3 °C | 130 kt | 3 h 39 min | 1:42 pm EDT (17:42 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 330° at 23 kt | −12 kt | -1 °C | 132 kt | 3 h 36 min | 1:39 pm EDT (17:39 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 330° at 25 kt | −14 kt | -5 °C | 134 kt | 3 h 33 min | 1:36 pm EDT (17:36 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 330° at 26 kt | −15 kt | -9 °C | 135 kt | 3 h 31 min | 1:34 pm EDT (17:34 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 330° at 27 kt | −16 kt | -10 °C | 136 kt | 3 h 30 min | 1:33 pm EDT (17:33 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 330° at 28 kt | −14 kt | -21 °C | 134 kt | 3 h 33 min | 1:36 pm EDT (17:36 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 330° at 38 kt | −19 kt | -37 °C | 139 kt | 3 h 25 min | 1:28 pm EDT (17:28 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 320° at 45 kt | −30 kt | -44 °C | 150 kt | 3 h 10 min | 1:13 pm EDT (17:13 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 48 kt | −34 kt | -52 °C | 154 kt | 3 h 05 min | 1:08 pm EDT (17:08 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 06:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 12:00 UTC for use 08:00 to 15:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | used from 0 nm out; 64 nm from the line | 310/7 | 350/20 14° | 340/16 9° | 320/21 2° | 320/32 -8° | 330/34 -20° | 330/45 -36° | 320/60 -45° | 320/64 -51° |
| BUF | used from 149 nm out; 54 nm from the line | 300/11 | 330/15 11° | 340/26 8° | 330/28 2° | 340/31 -10° | 340/32 -21° | 340/52 -37° | 340/59 -46° | 330/66 -53° |
| SYR | used from 248 nm out; 75 nm from the line | 330/17 | 320/14 9° | 350/18 8° | 350/26 2° | 340/25 -11° | 360/34 -22° | 350/43 -39° | 330/50 -46° | 350/50 -54° |
| AVP | used from 297 nm out; 51 nm from the line | 010/20 | 020/24 11° | 360/19 8° | 350/23 2° | 320/24 -11° | 330/25 -22° | 330/27 -37° | 310/28 -42° | 290/30 -50° |
| ALB | used from 396 nm out; 44 nm from the line | 340/22 | 340/19 9° | 320/16 7° | 330/16 2° | 330/19 -11° | 320/21 -23° | 320/25 -39° | 280/30 -44° | 270/41 -51° |
| BDL | used from 446 nm out; 15 nm from the line | 020/15 | 010/19 10° | 340/10 7° | 300/17 3° | 280/23 -10° | 250/35 -22° | 250/44 -38° | 250/55 -42° | 250/57 -51° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DTW Detroit, MI | departure | no report just now | 645 ft | ||||
| DET Detroit, MI | 20 nm out, 12 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 624 ft | ||||
| ERI Erie, PA | 139 nm out, 10 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 732 ft | ||||
| JHW Jamestown, NY | 178 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 1,723 ft | ||||
| OLE Olean, NY | 218 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 2,135 ft | ||||
| ELZ Wellsville, NY | 238 nm out, 5 nm south of the line | no report just now | 2,124 ft | ||||
| ELM Elmira/Corning, NY | 287 nm out, 0 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 955 ft | ||||
| POU Poughkeepsie, NY | 426 nm out, 24 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 163 ft | ||||
| GBR Great Barrington, MA | 446 nm out, 12 nm north of the line | no report just now | 739 ft | ||||
| BDL Windsor Locks, CT | destination | no report just now | 173 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,135 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At BDL when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:08 pm EDT (17:08 UTC)
BDL has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8992 Monroe, MI, Thursday, October 15, 2026 Local 12 nm from the route, at the departure end · a VIP movement · starts Thursday 15 October · ZOB
Daylight
Sunset at DTW 6:56 pm EDT (22:56 UTC), at BDL 6:14 pm EDT (22:14 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:42 pm EDT (22:42 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: Detroit Metro Wayne County, Bradley International.