The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 3:43 am EDT (07:43 UTC)

Gerald R Ford International to Springfield-Branson Ntl Airport GRR → SGF

495 nautical miles (569 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 229°, about 235° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6W). At 120 knots that is 4 h 30 min at the quickest height in today's winds (12,500 ft, a 10-knot headwind), arriving about 7:13 am CDT (12:13 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: 2 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

  • AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist), from 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC). Over the first 99 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 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 6 forecast points nearest it (MKG, JOT, SPI, STL, COU, SGF). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft240° at 23 kt+22 kt98 kt5 h 03 min7:46 am CDT (12:46 UTC)
6,500 ft250° at 21 kt+19 kt14 °C101 kt4 h 54 min7:37 am CDT (12:37 UTC)
8,500 ft260° at 18 kt+15 kt11 °C105 kt4 h 43 min7:26 am CDT (12:26 UTC)
10,500 ft260° at 15 kt+12 kt8 °C108 kt4 h 35 min7:18 am CDT (12:18 UTC)
12,500 ft260° at 12 kt+10 kt4 °C110 kt4 h 30 min7:13 am CDT (12:13 UTC)
14,500 ft270° at 16 kt+12 kt0 °C108 kt4 h 35 min7:18 am CDT (12:18 UTC)
16,500 ft270° at 20 kt+14 kt-4 °C106 kt4 h 40 min7:23 am CDT (12:23 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180270° at 23 kt+16 kt-7 °C104 kt4 h 46 min7:29 am CDT (12:29 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240280° at 28 kt+18 kt-19 °C102 kt4 h 51 min7:34 am CDT (12:34 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300290° at 34 kt+15 kt-33 °C105 kt4 h 43 min7:26 am CDT (12:26 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340290° at 50 kt+20 kt-42 °C100 kt4 h 57 min7:40 am CDT (12:40 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390300° at 59 kt+19 kt-52 °C101 kt4 h 54 min7:37 am CDT (12:37 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
MKGused from 0 nm out; 36 nm from the line260/22290/16 15°300/11 10°290/5 3°300/26 -9°300/32 -20°320/48 -36°320/61 -45°310/74 -53°
JOTused from 99 nm out; 25 nm from the line250/23270/22 15°250/16 10°240/9 4°280/22 -7°280/29 -19°300/29 -34°290/50 -43°300/64 -52°
SPIused from 198 nm out; 40 nm from the line220/21250/23 16°260/27 9°270/14 6°270/23 -7°270/31 -19°270/28 -33°290/48 -42°300/55 -52°
STLused from 297 nm out; 37 nm from the line250/24250/24 16°260/23 9°270/16 6°260/25 -6°270/29 -19°290/34 -33°290/48 -41°290/54 -51°
COUused from 346 nm out; 32 nm from the line230/31230/30 15°260/16 11°270/14 6°260/24 -6°270/27 -18°270/37 -32°280/49 -41°290/56 -51°
SGFused from 445 nm out; 25 nm from the line230/33230/28 15°250/20 13°240/18 7°250/20 -6°250/24 -17°280/42 -31°280/49 -40°290/46 -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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
GRR Grand Rapids, MI departure no report just now 793 ft
LWA South Haven, MI 49 nm out, 5 nm east of the line no report just now 665 ft
BEH Benton Harbor, MI 59 nm out, 8 nm southeast of the line no report just now 649 ft
GYY Gary/Chicago, IN 109 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line, tower no report just now 596 ft
PNT Pontiac, IL 178 nm out, 5 nm west of the line no report just now 666 ft
BMI Bloomington/Normal, IL 208 nm out, 7 nm southeast of the line, tower no report just now 871 ft
SPI Springfield, IL 257 nm out, 11 nm southeast of the line, tower no report just now 597 ft
PPQ Pittsfield, IL 307 nm out, 16 nm northwest of the line no report just now 709 ft
FTT Fulton, MO 376 nm out, 21 nm northwest of the line no report just now 886 ft
JEF Jefferson City, MO 396 nm out, 15 nm northwest of the line, tower no report just now 549 ft
LBO Lebanon, MO 455 nm out, 8 nm southeast of the line no report just now 1,320 ft
SGF Springfield, MO destination no report just now 1,268 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,320 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At SGF when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 7:13 am CDT (12:13 UTC)

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

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 GRR 7:04 pm EDT (23:04 UTC), at SGF 6:41 pm CDT (23:41 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:07 pm CDT (00:07 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at SGF is before sunrise there (7:18 am CDT (12:18 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 central Great Lakes
Radar now, the central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · 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: Gerald R Ford International, Springfield-Branson Ntl Airport.