Northeast Alabama Regional to Tuscaloosa Ntl Airport GAD → TCL
88 nautical miles (102 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 240°, about 243° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 42 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 7-knot tailwind), arriving about 7:58 am CDT (12:58 UTC). Right now GAD is VFR, wind from the north (010°) at 7 knots; TCL is marginal VFR, wind calm. 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
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, mist, fog). Over the last 29 nm of 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 GAD.
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 westbound cruising heights for this course (VFR: even thousands plus 500 ft; above 18,000 ft the forecast levels), with the wind averaged along the line from the 1 forecast point nearest it (BHM). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,500 ft | 310° at 17 kt | +6 kt | 114 kt | 46 min | 8:02 am CDT (13:02 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 310° at 16 kt | +5 kt | 15 °C | 115 kt | 46 min | 8:02 am CDT (13:02 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 320° at 18 kt | +3 kt | 12 °C | 117 kt | 45 min | 8:01 am CDT (13:01 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 320° at 17 kt | +2 kt | 8 °C | 118 kt | 45 min | 8:01 am CDT (13:01 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 330° at 16 kt | 0 | 4 °C | 120 kt | 44 min | 8:00 am CDT (13:00 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 330° at 18 kt | 0 | 1 °C | 120 kt | 44 min | 8:00 am CDT (13:00 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 330° at 21 kt | 0 | -2 °C | 120 kt | 44 min | 8:00 am CDT (13:00 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 330° at 23 kt | 0 | -5 °C | 120 kt | 44 min | 8:00 am CDT (13:00 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 320° at 14 kt | +2 kt | -18 °C | 118 kt | 45 min | 8:01 am CDT (13:01 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 320° at 36 kt | +6 kt | -32 °C | 114 kt | 46 min | 8:02 am CDT (13:02 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 330° at 44 kt | 0 | -40 °C | 120 kt | 44 min | 8:00 am CDT (13:00 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 340° at 36 kt | −7 kt | -51 °C | 127 kt | 42 min | 7:58 am CDT (12:58 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BHM | used from 0 nm out; 17 nm from the line | 310/19 | 310/15 16° | 320/19 11° | 330/15 5° | 330/23 -5° | 320/14 -18° | 320/36 -32° | 330/44 -40° | 340/36 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GAD Gadsden, AL | departure | VFR | from the north (010°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 569 ft | 10:56 am CDT (15:56 UTC) |
| BHM Birmingham, AL | 39 nm out, 5 nm south of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 4,000 feet, a few clouds at 8,000 feet, a few clouds at 25,000 feet | calm | 8 mi | none | 650 ft | 11:53 UTC |
| EKY Bessemer, AL | 59 nm out, 13 nm southeast of the line | marginal VFR Sky: a few clouds at 4,200 feet, a broken layer at 6,000 feet, overcast at 7,000 feet Weather: rain, mist | from the northeast (050°) at 16 knots, gusting to 23 | 4 mi | 6,000 ft | 699 ft | 03:56 UTC |
| TCL Tuscaloosa, AL | destination | marginal VFR Weather: mist | calm | 5 mi | none | 169 ft | 6:53 am CDT (11:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 699 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At TCL when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 7:58 am CDT (12:58 UTC)
Wind calm, visibility 6 miles, mist, a few clouds at 25,000 feet VFR
At times between Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC) and 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): visibility 4 miles, mist marginal VFR
The whole forecast for TCL
- From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility 6 miles, mist, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- At times between Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC) and 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): visibility 4 miles, mist
- From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
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 GAD 6:14 pm CDT (23:14 UTC), at TCL 6:20 pm CDT (23:20 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:45 pm CDT (23:45 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: Northeast Alabama Regional, Tuscaloosa Ntl Airport.