Gerald R Ford International to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International GRR → BHM
562 nautical miles (647 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 186°, about 192° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 46 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 29-knot tailwind), arriving about 11:56 am CDT (16:56 UTC). 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 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 99 to 493 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, mist, fog). Near the route, at the destination 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 GRR.
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 7 forecast points nearest it (MKG, FWA, IND, LOU, BNA, HSV, 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 | 290° at 18 kt | −4 kt | 124 kt | 4 h 32 min | 12:42 pm CDT (17:42 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 300° at 16 kt | −6 kt | 14 °C | 126 kt | 4 h 28 min | 12:38 pm CDT (17:38 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 290° at 16 kt | −5 kt | 10 °C | 125 kt | 4 h 30 min | 12:40 pm CDT (17:40 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 290° at 15 kt | −4 kt | 6 °C | 124 kt | 4 h 32 min | 12:42 pm CDT (17:42 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 290° at 16 kt | −4 kt | 3 °C | 124 kt | 4 h 32 min | 12:42 pm CDT (17:42 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 290° at 19 kt | −6 kt | 0 °C | 126 kt | 4 h 28 min | 12:38 pm CDT (17:38 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 300° at 22 kt | −8 kt | -4 °C | 128 kt | 4 h 23 min | 12:33 pm CDT (17:33 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 300° at 24 kt | −9 kt | -6 °C | 129 kt | 4 h 21 min | 12:31 pm CDT (17:31 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 28 kt | −2 kt | -19 °C | 122 kt | 4 h 36 min | 12:46 pm CDT (17:46 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 290° at 34 kt | −10 kt | -34 °C | 130 kt | 4 h 19 min | 12:29 pm CDT (17:29 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 300° at 47 kt | −22 kt | -42 °C | 142 kt | 3 h 57 min | 12:07 pm CDT (17:07 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 53 kt | −29 kt | -51 °C | 149 kt | 3 h 46 min | 11:56 am CDT (16:56 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MKG | used from 0 nm out; 51 nm from the line | 260/28 | 260/18 15° | 250/16 9° | 260/22 4° | 280/31 -9° | 270/35 -21° | 270/44 -35° | 270/42 -45° | 290/61 -51° |
| FWA | used from 49 nm out; 47 nm from the line | 270/20 | 300/16 15° | 290/14 10° | 280/17 3° | 290/25 -7° | 280/30 -19° | 280/34 -35° | 290/48 -44° | 300/64 -52° |
| IND | used from 148 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 270/22 | 290/19 15° | 270/19 8° | 270/18 4° | 290/28 -7° | 280/35 -20° | 270/37 -34° | 300/51 -42° | 300/61 -51° |
| LOU | used from 247 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 300/16 | 310/19 15° | 310/17 9° | 300/15 4° | 300/26 -6° | 280/34 -19° | 290/30 -34° | 310/49 -42° | 310/58 -51° |
| BNA | used from 345 nm out; 41 nm from the line | 300/20 | 300/14 15° | 300/14 10° | 300/13 4° | 310/22 -5° | 280/24 -18° | 310/37 -33° | 310/50 -41° | 320/49 -51° |
| HSV | used from 444 nm out; 31 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° |
| BHM | used from 543 nm out; 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRR Grand Rapids, MI | departure | no report just now | 793 ft | ||||
| AZO Kalamazoo, MI | 39 nm out, 3 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 873 ft | ||||
| EKM Elkhart, IN | 69 nm out, 14 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 777 ft | ||||
| AID Anderson, IN | 168 nm out, 14 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 919 ft | ||||
| BAK Columbus, IN | 217 nm out, 7 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 656 ft | ||||
| LOU Louisville, KY | 276 nm out, 24 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 545 ft | ||||
| SDF Louisville, KY | 286 nm out, 21 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 500 ft | ||||
| BWG Bowling Green, KY | 355 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 547 ft | ||||
| MQY Smyrna, TN | 414 nm out, 3 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 543 ft | ||||
| HSV Huntsville, AL | 503 nm out, 9 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 628 ft | ||||
| CMD Cullman, AL | 523 nm out, 10 nm west of the line | no report just now | 969 ft | ||||
| BHM Birmingham, AL | destination | no report just now | 650 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 969 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At BHM when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 11:56 am CDT (16:56 UTC)
BHM has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/0708 Goodlettsville, TN, Saturday, August 1, 2026 through Sunday, August 1, 2027 UTC 12 nm from the route, 395 nm along the route · security · until 1 August · ZME
Daylight
Sunset at GRR 7:04 pm EDT (23:04 UTC), at BHM 6:17 pm CDT (23:17 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:42 pm CDT (23:42 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: Gerald R Ford International, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International.