The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 5:44 am CDT (10:44 UTC)

Gary/Chicago International to Kansas City International GYY → MCI

361 nautical miles (416 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 250°, about 252° magnetic at the departure end (variation 2W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 26 min at the quickest height in today's winds (8,500 ft, a 15-knot headwind), arriving about 9:10 am CDT (14:10 UTC). Right now GYY is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (210°) at 5 knots; MCI is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (200°) at 14 knots, gusting to 22. 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: 12 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 TANGO 2W: 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 last 195 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 GYY.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

No pilot reports within 50 nautical miles of the line in the last three hours.

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 4 forecast points nearest it (JOT, BRL, COU, MKC). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft250° at 27 kt+27 kt93 kt3 h 53 min9:37 am CDT (14:37 UTC)
6,500 ft250° at 19 kt+19 kt16 °C101 kt3 h 34 min9:18 am CDT (14:18 UTC)
8,500 ft250° at 15 kt+15 kt12 °C105 kt3 h 26 min9:10 am CDT (14:10 UTC)
10,500 ft250° at 16 kt+16 kt8 °C104 kt3 h 28 min9:12 am CDT (14:12 UTC)
12,500 ft260° at 18 kt+17 kt4 °C103 kt3 h 30 min9:14 am CDT (14:14 UTC)
14,500 ft270° at 20 kt+19 kt0 °C101 kt3 h 34 min9:18 am CDT (14:18 UTC)
16,500 ft270° at 22 kt+20 kt-4 °C100 kt3 h 37 min9:21 am CDT (14:21 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180280° at 24 kt+21 kt-7 °C99 kt3 h 39 min9:23 am CDT (14:23 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240260° at 38 kt+37 kt-20 °C83 kt4 h 21 min10:05 am CDT (15:05 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300270° at 52 kt+48 kt-33 °C72 kt5 h 01 min10:45 am CDT (15:45 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340280° at 61 kt+53 kt-40 °C67 kt5 h 23 min11:07 am CDT (16:07 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390290° at 63 kt+48 kt-49 °C72 kt5 h 01 min10:45 am CDT (15:45 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
JOTused from 0 nm out; 12 nm from the line250/25260/22 14°250/17 9°270/21 5°280/28 -8°280/36 -20°270/41 -35°280/57 -42°290/65 -50°
BRLused from 98 nm out; 54 nm from the line250/32250/19 17°260/15 11°270/16 3°290/23 -7°260/42 -20°270/52 -34°280/63 -39°290/64 -48°
COUused from 244 nm out; 74 nm from the line250/36260/14 16°250/5 12°260/12 6°260/24 -7°260/35 -19°280/58 -31°280/62 -40°290/60 -49°
MKCused from 293 nm out; 45 nm from the line240/49240/21 20°220/19 13°230/21 6°260/26 -7°250/37 -19°270/66 -31°270/65 -38°280/60 -48°

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
GYY Gary/Chicago, IN departure VFR from the south-southwest (210°) at 5 knots 10+ mi none 596 ft 5:15 am CDT (10:15 UTC)
LOT Chicago/Romeoville, IL 29 nm out, 10 nm north of the line, tower VFR from the south-southeast (150°) at 7 knots 10+ mi none 679 ft 10:35 UTC
DTG Dwight, IL 49 nm out, 12 nm south of the line no report just now 632 ft
PIA Peoria, IL 117 nm out, 16 nm southeast of the line, tower VFR from the south (180°) at 3 knots 7 mi none 660 ft 09:54 UTC
MQB Macomb, IL 156 nm out, 9 nm south of the line VFR from the south (190°) at 4 knots 10+ mi none 705 ft 10:35 UTC
EOK Keokuk, IA 195 nm out, 2 nm north of the line reported, no category from the south (190°) at 7 knots 10+ mi none 671 ft 10:35 UTC
IRK Kirksville, MO 254 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line reported, no category from the south-southwest (200°) at 7 knots 10+ mi none 966 ft 09:55 UTC
CHT Chillicothe, MO 303 nm out, 6 nm northeast of the line VFR from the south-southwest (200°) at 6 knots 10+ mi none 783 ft 10:35 UTC
GPH Mosby, MO 342 nm out, 6 nm south of the line VFR from the southeast (140°) at 4 knots 10+ mi none 777 ft 10:35 UTC
MCI Kansas City, MO destination VFR from the south-southwest (200°) at 14 knots, gusting to 22 10+ mi none 1,027 ft 4:53 am CDT (09:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,027 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At MCI when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 9:10 am CDT (14:10 UTC)

Wind from the south-southwest at 17 knots, gusting to 26, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for MCI
  • From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 17 knots, gusting to 26, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 6:00 pm CDT (23:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, gusting to 19, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for GYY, the departure
  • From Mon 4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC): wind from the south at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 23, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 12,000 feet

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 GYY 6:13 pm CDT (23:13 UTC), at MCI 6:44 pm CDT (23:44 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:11 pm CDT (00:11 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: Gary/Chicago International, Kansas City International.