The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 2:27 am CDT (07:27 UTC)

Fort Smith Regional to Shreveport Regional FSM → SHV

176 nautical miles (202 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 171°, about 170° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1E). At 120 knots that is 1 h 15 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 20-knot tailwind), arriving about 3:42 am CDT (08:42 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now FSM is VFR, wind calm; SHV is VFR, wind from the south (190°) at 7 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 return flight

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 TANGO 3W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). Near the route, at the departure end.

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

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 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 2 forecast points nearest it (FSM, SHV). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
3,500 ft210° at 22 kt+17 kt103 kt1 h 43 min4:10 am CDT (09:10 UTC)
5,500 ft240° at 22 kt+10 kt110 kt1 h 36 min4:03 am CDT (09:03 UTC)
7,500 ft240° at 22 kt+8 kt14 °C112 kt1 h 34 min4:01 am CDT (09:01 UTC)
9,500 ft240° at 20 kt+7 kt12 °C113 kt1 h 33 min4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC)
11,500 ft240° at 17 kt+6 kt9 °C114 kt1 h 33 min4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC)
13,500 ft240° at 15 kt+5 kt4 °C115 kt1 h 32 min3:59 am CDT (08:59 UTC)
15,500 ft250° at 15 kt+4 kt0 °C116 kt1 h 31 min3:58 am CDT (08:58 UTC)
17,500 ft250° at 15 kt+2 kt-4 °C118 kt1 h 29 min3:56 am CDT (08:56 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180250° at 15 kt+2 kt-5 °C118 kt1 h 29 min3:56 am CDT (08:56 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240260° at 22 kt+2 kt-16 °C118 kt1 h 29 min3:56 am CDT (08:56 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300290° at 37 kt−16 kt-30 °C136 kt1 h 18 min3:45 am CDT (08:45 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340290° at 38 kt−17 kt-40 °C137 kt1 h 17 min3:44 am CDT (08:44 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390290° at 37 kt−20 kt-51 °C140 kt1 h 15 min3:42 am CDT (08:42 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
FSMused from 0 nm out; 24 nm from the line210/27250/23 16°250/20 13°240/17 8°250/18 -6°260/31 -16°280/42 -30°280/44 -40°290/38 -51°
SHVused from 98 nm out; 54 nm from the line200/18230/24 18°230/24 12°240/14 8°260/12 -4°240/11 -15°300/31 -29°300/32 -40°300/36 -52°

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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
FSM Fort Smith, AR departure VFR calm 10+ mi none 469 ft 1:53 am CDT (06:53 UTC)
RKR Poteau, OK 20 nm out, 16 nm west of the line VFR calm 10+ mi none 450 ft 07:15 UTC
MEZ Mena, AR 49 nm out, 1 nm northeast of the line VFR calm 10+ mi none 1,079 ft 07:15 UTC
TXK Texarkana, AR 117 nm out, 3 nm north of the line, tower VFR from the south-southwest (210°) at 8 knots 10+ mi none 389 ft 06:53 UTC
ATA Atlanta, TX 137 nm out, 13 nm west of the line no report just now 280 ft
SHV Shreveport, LA destination VFR from the south (190°) at 7 knots 10+ mi none 257 ft 1:56 am CDT (06:56 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,079 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At SHV when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 3:42 am CDT (08:42 UTC)

Wind from the south-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR

The whole forecast for SHV
  • From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
  • From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the south at 12 knots, gusting to 19, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for FSM, the departure
  • 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
  • From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 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 SHV 6:46 pm CDT (23:46 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:11 pm CDT (00:11 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at SHV is before sunrise there (7:16 am CDT (12:16 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
Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the southern Plains
Radar now, the southern Plains · loop National Weather Service
Radar, the whole country
Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service
Surface analysis now
Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead
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, Shreveport Regional.