Plan a flight · Sun 9:22 pm CDT (02:22 UTC)

Fort Smith Regional to Louisville Muhammad Ali International FSM → SDF

448 nautical miles (516 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 065°, about 064° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1E). At 120 knots that is 3 h 12 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 20-knot tailwind), arriving about 1:34 am EDT (05:34 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now FSM is VFR, wind from the south (180°) at 5 knots; SDF is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (200°) 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: 1 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

No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.

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 FSM.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

B737 at 31,000 ft, 3 nm northeast, 7:13 pm CDT (00:13 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: ZME25. 289 nm along the route, 3 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
PAH UA /OV CNG360015/TM 0013/FL310/TP B737/TB OCNL LGT CHOP/RM ZME25
```
Report
a routine report filed through PAH
Where
15 nm north (360°) of CNG
Time
00:13 UTC
Height
at 31,000 ft
Aircraft
B737
Turbulence
occasional light chop
Remarks
ZME25
B38M at 21,000 ft, 9 nm southeast, 8:09 pm CDT (01:09 UTC): no turbulence, no icing. At the destination end, 9 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
SDF UA /OV IIU/TM 0109/FL210/TP B38M/TB NEG/IC NEG
```
Report
a routine report filed through SDF
Where
over IIU
Time
01:09 UTC
Height
at 21,000 ft
Aircraft
B38M
Turbulence
none
Icing
none

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 5 forecast points nearest it (FSM, LIT, CGI, EVV, 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
3,500 ft	260° at 9 kt	−9 kt		129 kt	3 h 28 min	1:50 am EDT (05:50 UTC)
5,500 ft	290° at 11 kt	−8 kt		128 kt	3 h 30 min	1:52 am EDT (05:52 UTC)
7,500 ft	290° at 14 kt	−10 kt	14 °C	130 kt	3 h 27 min	1:49 am EDT (05:49 UTC)
9,500 ft	290° at 18 kt	−13 kt	10 °C	133 kt	3 h 22 min	1:44 am EDT (05:44 UTC)
11,500 ft	300° at 20 kt	−12 kt	6 °C	132 kt	3 h 24 min	1:46 am EDT (05:46 UTC)
13,500 ft	310° at 21 kt	−11 kt	2 °C	131 kt	3 h 25 min	1:47 am EDT (05:47 UTC)
15,500 ft	310° at 22 kt	−10 kt	-2 °C	130 kt	3 h 27 min	1:49 am EDT (05:49 UTC)
17,500 ft	320° at 23 kt	−9 kt	-6 °C	129 kt	3 h 28 min	1:50 am EDT (05:50 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	320° at 23 kt	−8 kt	-7 °C	128 kt	3 h 30 min	1:52 am EDT (05:52 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	320° at 29 kt	−7 kt	-18 °C	127 kt	3 h 32 min	1:54 am EDT (05:54 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	320° at 46 kt	−17 kt	-33 °C	137 kt	3 h 16 min	1:38 am EDT (05:38 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	310° at 51 kt	−20 kt	-41 °C	140 kt	3 h 12 min	1:34 am EDT (05:34 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	320° at 45 kt	−15 kt	-50 °C	135 kt	3 h 19 min	1:41 am EDT (05:41 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
FSM	used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line	200/18	210/19 15°	230/22 13°	250/18 7°	270/20 -5°	280/24 -16°	280/35 -30°	290/37 -40°	300/40 -52°
LIT	used from 100 nm out; 88 nm from the line	220/12	250/12 17°	250/18 12°	260/22 6°	310/14 -5°	310/25 -17°	310/40 -31°	310/38 -41°	310/46 -52°
CGI	used from 149 nm out; 84 nm from the line	250/10	290/12 17°	290/18 11°	300/22 5°	320/25 -8°	330/30 -18°	320/53 -33°	320/66 -42°	320/56 -50°
EVV	used from 299 nm out; 48 nm from the line	310/13	340/26 16°	330/29 10°	330/32 4°	330/30 -9°	340/38 -20°	330/60 -35°	320/57 -41°	330/39 -48°
LOU	used from 399 nm out; 29 nm from the line	320/15	340/24 14°	330/28 9°	340/34 4°	340/37 -9°	340/42 -20°	320/39 -35°	320/45 -39°	330/40 -47°

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
FSM Fort Smith, AR	departure	VFR	from the south (180°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	469 ft	8:53 pm CDT (01:53 UTC)
FLP Flippin, AR	100 nm out, 17 nm north of the line	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	719 ft	01:56 UTC
CVK Ash Flat, AR	149 nm out, 5 nm south of the line	no report just now				717 ft
POF Poplar Bluff, MO	219 nm out, 5 nm west of the line	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	330 ft	01:53 UTC
CGI Cape Girardeau, MO	259 nm out, 12 nm northwest of the line, tower	VFR	from the west-southwest (240°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	341 ft	20:53 UTC
PAH Paducah, KY	289 nm out, 12 nm southeast of the line, tower	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	410 ft	00:00 UTC
TWT Sturgis, KY	339 nm out, 2 nm west of the line	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	372 ft	02:15 UTC
OWB Owensboro, KY	379 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line, tower	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	407 ft	01:56 UTC
EKX Elizabethtown, KY	429 nm out, 25 nm southeast of the line	low IFR Sky: sky obscured at 500 feet Weather: fog	calm	0.5 mi	500 ft	775 ft	02:15 UTC
SDF Louisville, KY	destination	VFR	from the south-southwest (200°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	500 ft	9:56 pm EDT (01:56 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 775 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, 1:34 am EDT (05:34 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 FSM, the departure

From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, clear skies
From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 10 knots, gusting to 18, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 10,000 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 FSM 6:46 pm CDT (23:46 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

Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service

Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service

Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center

Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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: Fort Smith Regional, Louisville Muhammad Ali International.