Plan a flight · Mon 6:30 am CDT (11:30 UTC)

Fort Worth Meacham International to Raleigh-Durham International FTW → RDU

937 nautical miles (1,079 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 074°, about 066° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 6 h 33 min at the quickest height in today's winds (30,000 ft, a 23-knot tailwind), arriving about 2:03 pm EDT (18:03 UTC). Right now FTW is VFR, wind from the south (170°) at 12 knots; RDU is VFR, wind from the west-southwest (250°) at 5 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: 4 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 598 to 738 nm out.
AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, mist). Over the route from 628 to 768 nm out.
AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 29,000 ft to 40,000 ft. Over the route from 698 to 818 nm out.
AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 6,000 ft. Over the route from 698 to 828 nm out.
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). Over the route from 778 to 917 nm out.

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 FTW.

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

B739 at 36,000 ft, 36 nm south, 6:18 am CDT (11:18 UTC): moderate turbulence, remarks: ztlfd 36. 738 nm along the route, 36 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ATL UA /OV ODF065025/TM 1118/FL360/TP B739/TB MOD/RM ZTLFD 36
```
Report
a routine report filed through ATL
Where
25 nm northeast (065°) of ODF
Time
11:18 UTC
Height
at 36,000 ft
Aircraft
B739
Turbulence
moderate
Remarks
ztlfd 36
E75L at 30,000 ft, 20 nm north, 5:51 am CDT (10:51 UTC): moderate turbulence above 30,000 ft. At the destination end, 20 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
RDU UA /OV RDU360020/TM 1051/FLF300/TP E75L/TB MOD 300
```
Report
a routine report filed through RDU
Where
20 nm north (360°) of RDU
Time
10:51 UTC
Height
at F300
Aircraft
E75L
Turbulence
moderate at 30,000 ft
C56X at 1,000 ft, 8 nm south, 6:04 am CDT (11:04 UTC): remarks: during the climb runway 20 departure. 618 nm along the route, 8 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
CHA UA /OV CHA/TM 1104/FL010/TP C56X/SK TOP010/RM DURC. RY 20 DEPARTURE
```
Report
a routine report filed through CHA
Where
over CHA
Time
11:04 UTC
Height
at 1,000 ft
Aircraft
C56X
Sky
TOP010
Remarks
during the climb runway 20 departure
CRJ9 at 1,000 ft, 8 nm south, 5:15 am CDT (10:15 UTC): remarks: during the climb runway 20 departure. 618 nm along the route, 8 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
CHA UA /OV CHA/TM 1015/FL010/TP CRJ9/SK TOP010/RM DURC. RY 20 DEPARTURE
```
Report
a routine report filed through CHA
Where
over CHA
Time
10:15 UTC
Height
at 1,000 ft
Aircraft
CRJ9
Sky
TOP010
Remarks
during the climb runway 20 departure
B38M at 35,000 ft, 26 nm south, 5:04 am CDT (10:04 UTC): light turbulence, remarks: ztlfd 39. 638 nm along the route, 26 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ATL UA /OV GQO110025/TM 1004/FL350/TP B38M/TB LGT/RM ZTLFD 39
```
Report
a routine report filed through ATL
Where
25 nm east (110°) of GQO
Time
10:04 UTC
Height
at 35,000 ft
Aircraft
B38M
Turbulence
light
Remarks
ztlfd 39
B712 at 20,000 ft, 43 nm south, 6:17 am CDT (11:17 UTC): no turbulence, remarks: ztlfd 49. 708 nm along the route, 43 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ATL UA /OV ODF/TM 1117/FL200/TP B712/TB NEG/RM ZTLFD 49
```
Report
a routine report filed through ATL
Where
over ODF
Time
11:17 UTC
Height
at 20,000 ft
Aircraft
B712
Turbulence
none
Remarks
ztlfd 49
A319 at 19,000 ft, 43 nm south, 5:42 am CDT (10:42 UTC): no turbulence, remarks: ztlfd 49. 708 nm along the route, 43 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ATL UA /OV ODF/TM 1042/FL190/TP A319/TB NEG/RM ZTLFD 49
```
Report
a routine report filed through ATL
Where
over ODF
Time
10:42 UTC
Height
at 19,000 ft
Aircraft
A319
Turbulence
none
Remarks
ztlfd 49
A320 at 34,000 ft, 8 nm south, 6:17 am CDT (11:17 UTC): light turbulence, remarks: ztlfd 50. 768 nm along the route, 8 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ATL UA /OV SUG/TM 1117/FL340/TP A320/TB LGT/RM ZTLFD 50
```
Report
a routine report filed through ATL
Where
over SUG
Time
11:17 UTC
Height
at 34,000 ft
Aircraft
A320
Turbulence
light
Remarks
ztlfd 50
BCS3 at 35,000 ft, 9 nm northwest, 5:57 am CDT (10:57 UTC): remarks: mountain wave + 10 knots ztlfd 28. 848 nm along the route, 9 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ATL UA /OV BZM100026/TM 1057/FL350/TP BCS3/RM MOUNTAIN WAVE +/- 10KTS ZTLFD 28
```
Report
a routine report filed through ATL
Where
26 nm east (100°) of BZM
Time
10:57 UTC
Height
at 35,000 ft
Aircraft
BCS3
Remarks
mountain wave + 10 knots ztlfd 28

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 8 forecast points nearest it (DAL, SHV, LIT, MEM, HSV, TYS, GSP, RDU). 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	280° at 13 kt	−13 kt		133 kt	7 h 03 min	2:33 pm EDT (18:33 UTC)
5,500 ft	290° at 12 kt	−11 kt		131 kt	7 h 09 min	2:39 pm EDT (18:39 UTC)
7,500 ft	300° at 14 kt	−11 kt	13 °C	131 kt	7 h 09 min	2:39 pm EDT (18:39 UTC)
9,500 ft	300° at 16 kt	−12 kt	10 °C	132 kt	7 h 06 min	2:36 pm EDT (18:36 UTC)
11,500 ft	300° at 16 kt	−12 kt	7 °C	132 kt	7 h 06 min	2:36 pm EDT (18:36 UTC)
13,500 ft	300° at 17 kt	−13 kt	3 °C	133 kt	7 h 03 min	2:33 pm EDT (18:33 UTC)
15,500 ft	300° at 18 kt	−14 kt	-1 °C	134 kt	7 h	2:30 pm EDT (18:30 UTC)
17,500 ft	300° at 19 kt	−14 kt	-5 °C	134 kt	7 h	2:30 pm EDT (18:30 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	300° at 20 kt	−15 kt	-6 °C	135 kt	6 h 56 min	2:26 pm EDT (18:26 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	310° at 21 kt	−15 kt	-17 °C	135 kt	6 h 56 min	2:26 pm EDT (18:26 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	310° at 38 kt	−23 kt	-31 °C	143 kt	6 h 33 min	2:03 pm EDT (18:03 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	320° at 43 kt	−23 kt	-40 °C	143 kt	6 h 33 min	2:03 pm EDT (18:03 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	320° at 38 kt	−20 kt	-50 °C	140 kt	6 h 42 min	2:12 pm EDT (18:12 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
DAL	used from 0 nm out; 6 nm from the line	190/30	200/28 18°	220/18 13°	250/13 8°	240/24 -6°	270/20 -14°	270/35 -29°	290/34 -39°	310/41 -51°
SHV	used from 100 nm out; 81 nm from the line	210/20	210/20 18°	230/20 11°	240/16 7°	270/17 -7°	250/11 -15°	300/34 -30°	310/34 -40°	320/36 -51°
LIT	used from 199 nm out; 69 nm from the line	250/22	250/25 18°	240/23 12°	240/20 7°	250/17 -6°	260/25 -17°	300/45 -29°	300/49 -40°	310/43 -51°
MEM	used from 349 nm out; 41 nm from the line	250/19	260/19 17°	270/20 12°	270/16 6°	270/21 -6°	290/27 -17°	300/37 -30°	300/49 -40°	310/40 -51°
HSV	used from 449 nm out; 68 nm from the line	300/20	310/14 16°	310/18 10°	310/15 4°	320/19 -5°	290/16 -18°	320/36 -32°	320/47 -41°	330/42 -50°
TYS	used from 598 nm out; 69 nm from the line	330/16	350/32 14°	350/37 9°	340/30 5°	330/28 -6°	340/36 -19°	330/40 -33°	330/51 -41°	330/36 -51°
GSP	used from 748 nm out; 39 nm from the line	340/30	360/24 13°	350/29 10°	340/33 6°	340/40 -7°	350/44 -19°	340/59 -31°	350/55 -41°	300/29 -50°
RDU	used from 848 nm out; 65 nm from the line	330/30	340/24 12°	330/26 7°	320/30 3°	330/39 -8°	310/30 -20°	300/33 -33°	310/34 -39°	310/41 -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
FTW Fort Worth, TX	departure	VFR	from the south (170°) at 12 knots	10+ mi	none	710 ft	5:53 am CDT (10:53 UTC)
ADS Dallas, TX	30 nm out, 2 nm west of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (170°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	644 ft	10:47 UTC
TXK Texarkana, AR	170 nm out, 10 nm southeast of the line, tower	VFR	from the south-southwest (200°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	389 ft	10:53 UTC
PBF Pine Bluff, AR	279 nm out, 9 nm north of the line	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	205 ft	10:53 UTC
CKM Clarksdale, MS	349 nm out, 5 nm east of the line	VFR	from the south-southwest (200°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	173 ft	11:15 UTC
TUP Tupelo, MS	439 nm out, 20 nm south of the line, tower	VFR Weather: mist	calm	6 mi	none	346 ft	10:53 UTC
HSV Huntsville, AL	538 nm out, 18 nm south of the line, tower	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 15,000 feet	calm	10+ mi	none	628 ft	10:53 UTC
CHA Chattanooga, TN	618 nm out, 8 nm south of the line, tower	low IFR Sky: sky obscured at 200 feet Weather: fog	calm	0.13 mi	200 ft	682 ft	10:53 UTC
AVL Asheville, NC	748 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line, tower	marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,600 feet	variable at 5 knots	10+ mi	1,600 ft	2,163 ft	11:17 UTC
HKY Hickory, NC	808 nm out, 7 nm north of the line, tower	VFR	from the west (280°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	none	1,189 ft	10:53 UTC
VUJ Albemarle, NC	868 nm out, 20 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	from the west (260°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	609 ft	11:15 UTC
RDU Raleigh/Durham, NC	destination	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 feet	from the west-southwest (250°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	435 ft	6:51 am EDT (10:51 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 2,163 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At RDU when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:03 pm EDT (18:03 UTC)

Wind from the northwest at 11 knots, gusting to 19, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 3,000 feet, a broken layer at 4,500 feet VFR

The whole forecast for RDU

From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 2,500 feet, a broken layer at 4,000 feet and more above
From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 11 knots, gusting to 19, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 3,000 feet, a broken layer at 4,500 feet
At times between Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC) and 1:00 pm EDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 12 knots, gusting to 22, a broken layer at 3,000 feet
From Mon 5:30 pm EDT (21:30 UTC): wind from the northwest at 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet

The forecast for FTW, the departure

From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the south at 12 knots, gusting to 23, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 15,000 feet
From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 6,000 feet
From Tue 4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 2,000 feet

Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it

6/8646 Arlington, TX, Thursday, October 15, 2026 through Friday, October 16, 2026 UTC 7 nm from the route, at the departure end · drones kept away from a public gathering · starts Thursday 15 October · ZFW
9/2934 DALLAS, TX 3 nm from the route, at the departure end · a VIP movement · ZFW

Daylight

Sunset at FTW 6:59 pm CDT (23:59 UTC), at RDU 6:43 pm EDT (22:43 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:09 pm EDT (23:09 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 southern Plains · loop National Weather Service

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

Radar now, the Southeast · 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 Worth Meacham International, Raleigh-Durham International.