Gerald R Ford International to Washington Dulles International GRR → IAD
435 nautical miles (501 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 120°, about 126° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6W). At 120 knots that is 2 h 37 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 46-knot tailwind), arriving about 5:20 am EDT (09:20 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: 3 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
- SIGMET E22E: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 40,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 3:55 am EDT (07:55 UTC). Over the last 49 nm of the route.
as issued
WSUS31 KKCI 120555 MKCE WST 120555 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 22E VALID UNTIL 0755Z NY NJ PA DE MD VA DC WV AND MA RI DE NJ NY CSTL WTRS FROM 40E HTO-80SSW ACK-100ESE SIE-30SW CSN-40SSE JST-40E HTO AREA EMBD TS MOV FROM 24020KT. TOPS TO FL400.
- 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 whole route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 267 to 405 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the last 79 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 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 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 5 forecast points nearest it (MKG, FWA, CLE, AGC, EKN). 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 | 320° at 11 kt | −10 kt | 130 kt | 3 h 21 min | 6:04 am EDT (10:04 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 330° at 16 kt | −14 kt | 12 °C | 134 kt | 3 h 15 min | 5:58 am EDT (09:58 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 340° at 18 kt | −15 kt | 11 °C | 135 kt | 3 h 13 min | 5:56 am EDT (09:56 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 340° at 18 kt | −15 kt | 7 °C | 135 kt | 3 h 13 min | 5:56 am EDT (09:56 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 340° at 17 kt | −13 kt | 4 °C | 133 kt | 3 h 16 min | 5:59 am EDT (09:59 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 340° at 19 kt | −15 kt | 0 °C | 135 kt | 3 h 13 min | 5:56 am EDT (09:56 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 330° at 22 kt | −19 kt | -5 °C | 139 kt | 3 h 08 min | 5:51 am EDT (09:51 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 330° at 25 kt | −22 kt | -9 °C | 142 kt | 3 h 04 min | 5:47 am EDT (09:47 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 330° at 26 kt | −23 kt | -10 °C | 143 kt | 3 h 03 min | 5:46 am EDT (09:46 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 330° at 35 kt | −31 kt | -21 °C | 151 kt | 2 h 53 min | 5:36 am EDT (09:36 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 330° at 44 kt | −38 kt | -36 °C | 158 kt | 2 h 45 min | 5:28 am EDT (09:28 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 320° at 48 kt | −45 kt | -42 °C | 165 kt | 2 h 38 min | 5:21 am EDT (09:21 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 320° at 49 kt | −46 kt | -49 °C | 166 kt | 2 h 37 min | 5:20 am EDT (09:20 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
| 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; 60 nm from the line | 260/22 | 290/16 15° | 300/11 10° | 290/5 3° | 300/26 -9° | 300/32 -20° | 320/48 -36° | 320/61 -45° | 310/74 -53° |
| FWA | used from 49 nm out; 91 nm from the line | 300/17 | 320/20 16° | 330/20 10° | 340/15 3° | 310/27 -8° | 320/37 -20° | 330/52 -36° | 330/65 -43° | 330/60 -50° |
| CLE | used from 99 nm out; 63 nm from the line | 340/7 | 010/16 13° | 350/18 8° | 350/20 3° | 340/31 -10° | 340/46 -21° | 340/54 -37° | 330/62 -44° | 340/65 -49° |
| AGC | used from 247 nm out; 22 nm from the line | 350/14 | 330/20 11° | 340/18 8° | 330/17 3° | 340/22 -11° | 340/31 -22° | 330/33 -36° | 300/34 -41° | 300/35 -47° |
| EKN | used from 346 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 330/21 12° | 330/25 7° | 350/22 2° | 330/24 -10° | 310/27 -21° | 320/33 -35° | 290/31 -39° | 290/34 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRR Grand Rapids, MI | departure | no report just now | 793 ft | ||||
| LAN Lansing, MI | 40 nm out, 16 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 860 ft | ||||
| JXN Jackson, MI | 59 nm out, 8 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,000 ft | ||||
| ARB Ann Arbor, MI | 89 nm out, 6 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 839 ft | ||||
| CYPT Pelee Island, | 138 nm out, 9 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 571 ft | ||||
| CLE Cleveland, OH | 188 nm out, 10 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 799 ft | ||||
| CAK Akron, OH | 218 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,225 ft | ||||
| PIT Pittsburgh, PA | 277 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,202 ft | ||||
| LBE Latrobe, PA | 316 nm out, 14 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,198 ft | ||||
| CBE Cumberland, MD | 366 nm out, 4 nm west of the line | no report just now | 757 ft | ||||
| MRB Martinsburg, WV | 396 nm out, 9 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 564 ft | ||||
| IAD Washington, DC | destination | no report just now | 312 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,225 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At IAD when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 5:20 am EDT (09:20 UTC)
IAD has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8587 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local on the route, 227 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZOB
- 6/8829 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 14 nm from the route, 237 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZOB
- 4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA 8 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · ZDC
- 6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 4 nm from the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · today · ZDC
Daylight
Sunset at GRR 7:04 pm EDT (23:04 UTC), at IAD 6:36 pm EDT (22:36 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:02 pm EDT (23:02 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at IAD is before sunrise there (7:16 am EDT (11:16 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
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, Washington Dulles International.