William P Hobby Airport to Midland Airpark HOU → MDD
380 nautical miles (437 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 294°, about 291° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3E). At 120 knots that is 3 h 02 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 5-knot tailwind), arriving about 6:44 am CDT (11:44 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now HOU is VFR, wind from the east-southeast (120°) at 5 knots; MDD is VFR, wind from the south (180°) at 13 knots. 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
No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.
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 HOU.
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 5 forecast points nearest it (HOU, CLL, SAT, ABI, INK). 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 | 190° at 24 kt | −5 kt | 19 °C | 125 kt | 3 h 02 min | 6:44 am CDT (11:44 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 190° at 21 kt | −4 kt | 18 °C | 124 kt | 3 h 04 min | 6:46 am CDT (11:46 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 200° at 13 kt | −1 kt | 15 °C | 121 kt | 3 h 08 min | 6:50 am CDT (11:50 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 210° at 10 kt | +1 kt | 12 °C | 119 kt | 3 h 12 min | 6:54 am CDT (11:54 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 220° at 10 kt | +3 kt | 7 °C | 117 kt | 3 h 15 min | 6:57 am CDT (11:57 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 220° at 12 kt | +4 kt | 3 °C | 116 kt | 3 h 17 min | 6:59 am CDT (11:59 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 230° at 14 kt | +6 kt | -2 °C | 114 kt | 3 h 20 min | 7:02 am CDT (12:02 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 16 kt | +6 kt | -5 °C | 114 kt | 3 h 20 min | 7:02 am CDT (12:02 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 250° at 22 kt | +16 kt | -14 °C | 104 kt | 3 h 39 min | 7:21 am CDT (12:21 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 260° at 26 kt | +23 kt | -29 °C | 97 kt | 3 h 55 min | 7:37 am CDT (12:37 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 24 kt | +24 kt | -39 °C | 96 kt | 3 h 58 min | 7:40 am CDT (12:40 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 320° at 24 kt | +22 kt | -51 °C | 98 kt | 3 h 53 min | 7:35 am CDT (12:35 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 180/22 | 180/20 16° | 170/7 15° | L/V 8° | 220/11 -6° | 260/15 -13° | 310/20 -30° | 320/20 -40° | 350/32 -51° |
| CLL | used from 50 nm out; 29 nm from the line | 180/24 | 170/21 19° | 180/10 14° | 230/7 8° | 230/16 -6° | 260/20 -13° | 290/23 -29° | 320/21 -39° | 340/35 -51° |
| SAT | used from 150 nm out; 76 nm from the line | 160/18 | 180/22 17° | 190/16 14° | 210/16 9° | 220/16 -5° | 200/11 -14° | 250/8 -29° | 330/8 -40° | 020/26 -51° |
| ABI | used from 200 nm out; 81 nm from the line | 200/30 19° | 220/12 16° | 220/11 9° | 230/15 -5° | 250/26 -15° | 250/39 -28° | 270/36 -38° | 280/30 -51° | |
| INK | used from 350 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 220/17 21° | 230/12 14° | 210/13 7° | 220/29 -5° | 240/41 -14° | 230/43 -28° | 250/41 -38° | 250/33 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU Houston, TX | departure | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 3,300 feet, a broken layer at 23,000 feet | from the east-southeast (120°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | 23,000 ft | 46 ft | 2:53 am CDT (07:53 UTC) |
| TME Houston, TX | 30 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line, tower | marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 2,400 feet | calm | 10+ mi | 2,400 ft | 165 ft | 06:35 UTC |
| ELA Eagle Lake, TX | 50 nm out, 24 nm south of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 184 ft | 08:35 UTC |
| GYB Giddings, TX | 90 nm out, 8 nm southwest of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 484 ft | 08:35 UTC |
| EDC Austin, TX | 130 nm out, 6 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the southeast (140°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 620 ft | 08:35 UTC |
| BMQ Burnet, TX | 170 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line | marginal VFR Sky: a broken layer at 1,400 feet, overcast at 2,000 feet | from the south-southeast (160°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | 1,400 ft | 1,283 ft | 08:26 UTC |
| BBD Brady, TX | 230 nm out, 3 nm northeast of the line | marginal VFR Sky: a broken layer at 1,900 feet, overcast at 2,500 feet | from the south-southeast (150°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | 1,900 ft | 1,827 ft | 08:15 UTC |
| SJT San Angelo, TX | 290 nm out, 9 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (170°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,918 ft | 07:51 UTC |
| BPG Big Spring, TX | 360 nm out, 21 nm northeast of the line | VFR | from the south (190°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | none | 2,572 ft | 08:15 UTC |
| MDD Midland, TX | destination | VFR | from the south (180°) at 13 knots | 10+ mi | none | 2,805 ft | 3:35 am CDT (08:35 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,805 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MDD when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:44 am CDT (11:44 UTC)
MDD has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
The forecast for HOU, the departure
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the southeast at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC): wind from the east-southeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 2,500 feet, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the southeast at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 3,500 feet, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- 30% chance between Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC) and 1:00 pm CDT (18:00 UTC): light rain showers
- From Mon 5:00 pm CDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the southeast at 13 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 5,000 feet
- From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the southeast at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 5,000 feet
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/4240 SAN ANGELO, TX, Sunday, March 8, 2026 through Sunday, November 1, 2026 Local 6 nm from the route, 280 nm along the route · security · until 1 November · ZFW
Daylight
Sunset at HOU 6:54 pm CDT (23:54 UTC), at MDD 7:18 pm CDT (00:18 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:43 pm CDT (00:43 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at MDD is before sunrise there (7:49 am CDT (12:49 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: William P Hobby Airport, Midland Airpark.