The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Sun 8:09 pm MDT (02:09 UTC)

Grand Junction Regional to George Bush Intcntl/Houston Airport GJT → IAH

850 nautical miles (979 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 126°, about 117° magnetic at the departure end (variation 9E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 47 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 27-knot tailwind), arriving about 2:56 am CDT (07:56 UTC), after sunset at the destination. 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: 30 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

  • 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). Over the route from 79 to 277 nm out.
    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.
  • AIRMET TANGO 1W: 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 first 158 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET ZULU 3C: moderate icing up to 22,000 ft. Near the route, at the departure end.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the first 237 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 307 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 59 to 198 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 35,000 ft to 45,000 ft. Near the route, 267 nm along 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 GJT.

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 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 9 forecast points nearest it (GJT, ALS, TCC, AMA, LBB, ABI, DAL, CLL, HOU). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
5,500 ft190° at 24 kt+13 kt18 °C107 kt7 h 57 min5:06 am CDT (10:06 UTC)
7,500 ft200° at 24 kt+8 kt14 °C112 kt7 h 35 min4:44 am CDT (09:44 UTC)
9,500 ft210° at 24 kt+3 kt11 °C117 kt7 h 16 min4:25 am CDT (09:25 UTC)
11,500 ft220° at 26 kt+1 kt7 °C119 kt7 h 09 min4:18 am CDT (09:18 UTC)
13,500 ft220° at 27 kt−2 kt3 °C122 kt6 h 58 min4:07 am CDT (09:07 UTC)
15,500 ft230° at 29 kt−4 kt-1 °C124 kt6 h 51 min4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC)
17,500 ft230° at 31 kt−6 kt-5 °C126 kt6 h 45 min3:54 am CDT (08:54 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180230° at 31 kt−7 kt-6 °C127 kt6 h 42 min3:51 am CDT (08:51 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240230° at 36 kt−9 kt-17 °C129 kt6 h 35 min3:44 am CDT (08:44 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300240° at 47 kt−19 kt-29 °C139 kt6 h 07 min3:16 am CDT (08:16 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340250° at 47 kt−27 kt-38 °C147 kt5 h 47 min2:56 am CDT (07:56 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390260° at 42 kt−26 kt-50 °C146 kt5 h 49 min2:58 am CDT (07:58 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
GJTused from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line210/40 11°210/46 3°210/61 -10°210/68 -22°220/57 -29°230/59 -36°240/66 -46°
ALSused from 99 nm out; 38 nm from the line210/32 5°230/48 -8°230/49 -20°230/78 -30°240/74 -36°240/61 -47°
TCCused from 247 nm out; 73 nm from the line200/26200/28 14°220/25 7°230/28 -7°240/41 -19°240/62 -28°250/61 -37°250/49 -49°
AMAused from 346 nm out; 35 nm from the line190/28220/26 14°230/27 7°250/24 -6°250/32 -16°240/51 -28°250/52 -38°250/51 -50°
LBBused from 445 nm out; 58 nm from the line180/26 20°210/21 13°230/21 7°250/25 -5°250/34 -16°250/52 -28°260/47 -38°260/49 -50°
ABIused from 494 nm out; 81 nm from the line180/26 17°220/18 12°230/25 8°230/28 -5°240/29 -14°250/35 -28°270/37 -39°280/37 -51°
DALused from 643 nm out; 73 nm from the line180/21190/24 15°230/20 12°220/23 8°240/22 -5°230/18 -15°280/33 -29°280/36 -39°300/33 -52°
CLLused from 692 nm out; 71 nm from the line160/18190/18 16°200/19 12°220/14 7°260/18 -5°250/20 -13°290/29 -29°290/31 -40°300/22 -53°
HOUused from 841 nm out; 25 nm from the line160/18160/14 17°180/19 12°190/11 8°260/12 -4°260/14 -13°310/26 -30°310/30 -40°320/21 -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
GJT Grand Junction, CO departure no report just now 4,861 ft
AJZ Delta, CO 30 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line no report just now 5,193 ft
ALS Alamosa, CO 158 nm out, 6 nm south of the line no report just now 7,539 ft
RTN Raton, NM 237 nm out, 2 nm northeast of the line no report just now 6,352 ft
AMA Amarillo, TX 405 nm out, 19 nm northeast of the line, tower no report just now 3,606 ft
SEP Stephenville, TX 653 nm out, 1 nm southwest of the line no report just now 1,321 ft
ACT Waco, TX 712 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line, tower no report just now 516 ft
CLL College Station, TX 791 nm out, 11 nm southwest of the line, tower no report just now 320 ft
IAH Houston, TX destination no report just now 95 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 7,539 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At IAH when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:56 am CDT (07:56 UTC)

IAH has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.

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

  • 6/0543 MCGREGOR, TX 11 nm from the route, 712 nm along the route · security · ZFW

Daylight

Sunset at GJT 6:40 pm MDT (00:40 UTC), at IAH 6:54 pm CDT (23:54 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:18 pm CDT (00:18 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at IAH is before sunrise there (7:21 am CDT (12:21 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 Rockies
Radar now, the southern Rockies · 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: Grand Junction Regional, George Bush Intcntl/Houston Airport.