EL Paso International to Smyrna Airport ELP → MQY
1,019 nautical miles (1,173 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 070°, about 062° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 6 h 20 min at the quickest height in today's winds (30,000 ft, a 41-knot tailwind), arriving about 4:03 am CDT (09:03 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now ELP is VFR, wind from the west (280°) at 6 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: 5 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
- SIGMET 6W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 34,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 9:55 pm MDT (03:55 UTC). Near the route, 80 nm along the route.
as issued
WSUS33 KKCI 120155 MKCW WST 120155 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 6W VALID UNTIL 0355Z CO NM FROM 50SSW DEN-30NNE TBE-50SSW CME-50E SJN-20NE DVC-50SSW DEN AREA TS MOV FROM 23040KT. TOPS TO FL340.
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 ELP.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- CRJ7 at 36,000 ft, 32 nm south, 6:10 pm MDT (00:10 UTC): no turbulence, remarks: ZME20. 689 nm along the route, 32 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
HOT UA /OV HOT/TM 0010/FL360/TP CRJ7/TB NEG/RM ZME20
- Report
- a routine report filed through HOT
- Where
- over HOT
- Time
- 00:10 UTC
- Height
- at 36,000 ft
- Aircraft
- CRJ7
- Turbulence
- none
- Remarks
- ZME20
- C750 at 43,000 ft, 5 nm south, 6:50 pm MDT (00:50 UTC): light to moderate chop turbulence above 43,000 ft, remarks: zme. 739 nm along the route, 5 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
LIT UA /OV LIT360025/TM 0050/FL430/TP C750/TB CONS LGT-MOD CHOP 430/RM ZME
- Report
- a routine report filed through LIT
- Where
- 25 nm north (360°) of LIT
- Time
- 00:50 UTC
- Height
- at 43,000 ft
- Aircraft
- C750
- Turbulence
- continuous light to moderate chop at 43,000 ft
- Remarks
- zme
- BCS3 at 35,000 ft, 23 nm north, 6:13 pm MDT (00:13 UTC): no turbulence, remarks: ZME33. 889 nm along the route, 23 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
DYR UA /OV DYR/TM 0013/FL350/TP BCS3/TB NEG/RM ZME33
- Report
- a routine report filed through DYR
- Where
- over DYR
- Time
- 00:13 UTC
- Height
- at 35,000 ft
- Aircraft
- BCS3
- Turbulence
- none
- Remarks
- ZME33
- B38M at 25,000 ft, 15 nm north, 6:12 pm MDT (00:12 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: ZME26. 929 nm along the route, 15 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
MKL UA /OV MKL045035/TM 0012/FL250/TP B38M/TB OCNL LGT CHOP/RM ZME26
- Report
- a routine report filed through MKL
- Where
- 35 nm northeast (045°) of MKL
- Time
- 00:12 UTC
- Height
- at 25,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B38M
- Turbulence
- occasional light chop
- Remarks
- ZME26
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 11 forecast points nearest it (ELP, ROW, INK, LBB, ABI, SPS, OKC, FSM, LIT, MEM, BNA). 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 | 220° at 23 kt | −19 kt | 139 kt | 7 h 20 min | 5:03 am CDT (10:03 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 220° at 21 kt | −18 kt | 18 °C | 138 kt | 7 h 23 min | 5:06 am CDT (10:06 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 230° at 19 kt | −18 kt | 15 °C | 138 kt | 7 h 23 min | 5:06 am CDT (10:06 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 240° at 17 kt | −17 kt | 12 °C | 137 kt | 7 h 26 min | 5:09 am CDT (10:09 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 250° at 15 kt | −15 kt | 8 °C | 135 kt | 7 h 33 min | 5:16 am CDT (10:16 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 250° at 15 kt | −16 kt | 4 °C | 136 kt | 7 h 30 min | 5:13 am CDT (10:13 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 250° at 16 kt | −17 kt | 0 °C | 137 kt | 7 h 26 min | 5:09 am CDT (10:09 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 250° at 18 kt | −18 kt | -4 °C | 138 kt | 7 h 23 min | 5:06 am CDT (10:06 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 18 kt | −19 kt | -5 °C | 139 kt | 7 h 20 min | 5:03 am CDT (10:03 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 260° at 29 kt | −29 kt | -16 °C | 149 kt | 6 h 50 min | 4:33 am CDT (09:33 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 270° at 40 kt | −41 kt | -29 °C | 161 kt | 6 h 20 min | 4:03 am CDT (09:03 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 270° at 43 kt | −41 kt | -39 °C | 161 kt | 6 h 20 min | 4:03 am CDT (09:03 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 290° at 41 kt | −36 kt | -51 °C | 156 kt | 6 h 32 min | 4:15 am CDT (09:15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELP | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 290/17 | 210/11 13° | 200/18 5° | 220/46 -6° | 230/64 -14° | 230/63 -27° | 240/55 -37° | 240/44 -48° | |
| ROW | used from 50 nm out; 69 nm from the line | 190/33 | 210/27 14° | 220/28 6° | 230/36 -6° | 230/56 -15° | 230/63 -27° | 250/59 -37° | 260/57 -49° | |
| INK | used from 150 nm out; 58 nm from the line | 190/23 20° | 200/18 15° | 230/18 8° | 240/23 -4° | 240/37 -14° | 240/46 -27° | 250/42 -38° | 260/36 -50° | |
| LBB | used from 200 nm out; 43 nm from the line | 200/36 18° | 220/19 15° | 240/20 8° | 230/24 -4° | 240/37 -16° | 250/57 -28° | 250/51 -38° | 270/47 -50° | |
| ABI | used from 300 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 200/31 17° | 210/21 15° | 240/15 9° | 250/14 -4° | 250/24 -14° | 250/36 -28° | 270/35 -38° | 290/41 -50° | |
| SPS | used from 350 nm out; 44 nm from the line | 200/39 | 220/28 17° | 230/27 12° | 240/15 9° | 250/15 -4° | 250/24 -15° | 260/45 -28° | 270/43 -39° | 280/45 -51° |
| OKC | used from 500 nm out; 85 nm from the line | 200/44 | 230/32 18° | 240/13 15° | 240/10 9° | 240/20 -5° | 250/27 -16° | 260/47 -28° | 270/48 -39° | 270/45 -50° |
| FSM | used from 549 nm out; 69 nm from the line | 210/27 | 250/23 16° | 250/20 13° | 240/17 8° | 250/18 -6° | 260/31 -16° | 280/42 -30° | 280/44 -40° | 290/38 -51° |
| LIT | used from 699 nm out; 27 nm from the line | 220/21 | 230/17 16° | 250/24 12° | 260/15 7° | 260/13 -5° | 280/25 -16° | 290/35 -30° | 300/42 -40° | 300/40 -52° |
| MEM | used from 799 nm out; 34 nm from the line | 230/19 | 260/16 15° | 270/17 12° | 300/13 6° | 300/15 -5° | 300/26 -18° | 300/34 -32° | 300/41 -40° | 310/46 -52° |
| BNA | used from 949 nm out; 39 nm from the line | 310/20 | 340/20 17° | 330/24 10° | 340/22 5° | 330/26 -6° | 340/29 -18° | 330/52 -33° | 320/62 -41° | 340/45 -50° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELP El Paso, TX | departure | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 8,000 feet, a broken layer at 12,000 feet, a broken layer at 21,000 feet | from the west (280°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | 12,000 ft | 3,961 ft | 7:51 pm MDT (01:51 UTC) |
| HOB Hobbs, NM | 170 nm out, 2 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southeast (160°) at 19 knots, gusting to 27 | 10+ mi | none | 3,660 ft | 02:35 UTC |
| BFE Brownfield, TX | 230 nm out, 10 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 3,264 ft | ||||
| SPS Wichita Falls, TX | 420 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southeast (160°) at 10 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,019 ft | 01:52 UTC |
| AQR Atoka, OK | 540 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 590 ft | ||||
| BDQ Morrilton, AR | 709 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line | VFR | from the east (080°) at 1 knots | 10+ mi | none | 321 ft | 02:35 UTC |
| SRC Searcy, AR | 759 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 264 ft | 01:56 UTC |
| MKL Jackson, TN | 899 nm out, 5 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 434 ft | 01:53 UTC |
| JWN Nashville, TN | 999 nm out, 14 nm north of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 8 mi | none | 501 ft | 02:15 UTC |
| MQY Smyrna, TN | destination | reported, no category | from the south-southeast (160°) at 4 knots | none | 543 ft | 8:56 pm CDT (01:56 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 3,961 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MQY when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 4:03 am CDT (09:03 UTC)
Wind calm, visibility 5 miles, mist, patches of fog, clear skies marginal VFR
The whole forecast for MQY
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility 5 miles, mist, patches of fog, clear skies
- From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 20,000 feet
- From Mon 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the west at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 20,000 feet
The forecast for ELP, the departure
- From Sun 9:00 pm MDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the west at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 6,000 feet, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- At times between Sun 9:00 pm MDT (03:00 UTC) and 10:00 pm MDT (04:00 UTC): wind variable at 15 knots, gusting to 25, visibility 4 miles, rain showers
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/0708 Goodlettsville, TN, Saturday, August 1, 2026 through Sunday, August 1, 2027 UTC 21 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · until 1 August · ZME
Daylight
Sunset at ELP 6:36 pm MDT (00:36 UTC), at MQY 6:14 pm CDT (23:14 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:40 pm CDT (23:40 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at MQY is before sunrise there (6:50 am CDT (11:50 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: EL Paso International, Smyrna Airport.