The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 12:35 am CDT (05:35 UTC)

Huntsville Intl-Carl T Jones Field to Fort Smith Regional HSV → FSM

376 nautical miles (432 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 279°, about 283° magnetic at the departure end (variation 4W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 31 min at the quickest height in today's winds (12,500 ft, a 13-knot headwind), arriving about 4:06 am CDT (09:06 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now HSV is VFR, wind from the east (090°) at 3 knots; FSM is VFR, wind calm. 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 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). Over the first 10 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 3W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). 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 HSV.

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 4 forecast points nearest it (HSV, MEM, LIT, FSM). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft250° at 15 kt+14 kt106 kt3 h 33 min4:08 am CDT (09:08 UTC)
6,500 ft270° at 15 kt+16 kt15 °C104 kt3 h 37 min4:12 am CDT (09:12 UTC)
8,500 ft270° at 18 kt+18 kt13 °C102 kt3 h 41 min4:16 am CDT (09:16 UTC)
10,500 ft280° at 16 kt+16 kt9 °C104 kt3 h 37 min4:12 am CDT (09:12 UTC)
12,500 ft290° at 13 kt+13 kt5 °C107 kt3 h 31 min4:06 am CDT (09:06 UTC)
14,500 ft290° at 14 kt+14 kt1 °C106 kt3 h 33 min4:08 am CDT (09:08 UTC)
16,500 ft290° at 14 kt+14 kt-3 °C106 kt3 h 33 min4:08 am CDT (09:08 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180290° at 15 kt+15 kt-6 °C105 kt3 h 35 min4:10 am CDT (09:10 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240300° at 24 kt+23 kt-17 °C97 kt3 h 53 min4:28 am CDT (09:28 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300300° at 39 kt+36 kt-31 °C84 kt4 h 29 min5:04 am CDT (10:04 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340310° at 45 kt+39 kt-40 °C81 kt4 h 39 min5:14 am CDT (10:14 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390310° at 39 kt+33 kt-51 °C87 kt4 h 19 min4:54 am CDT (09:54 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
HSVused from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line310/20330/20 16°320/27 11°340/23 5°320/23 -7°340/30 -17°320/50 -33°330/61 -41°340/41 -50°
MEMused from 99 nm out; 36 nm from the line230/19260/16 15°270/17 12°300/13 6°300/15 -5°300/26 -18°300/34 -32°300/41 -40°310/46 -52°
LITused from 198 nm out; 53 nm from the line220/21230/17 16°250/24 12°260/15 7°260/13 -5°280/25 -16°290/35 -30°300/42 -40°300/40 -52°
FSMused from 297 nm out; 54 nm from the line210/27250/23 16°250/20 13°240/17 8°250/18 -6°260/31 -16°280/42 -30°280/44 -40°290/38 -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
HSV Huntsville, AL departure VFR from the east (090°) at 3 knots 10+ mi none 628 ft 11:53 pm CDT (04:53 UTC)
MSL Muscle Shoals, AL 40 nm out, 2 nm west of the line VFR calm 8 mi none 550 ft 04:53 UTC
SNH Savannah, TN 79 nm out, 22 nm north of the line VFR calm 7 mi none 472 ft 05:10 UTC
CRX Corinth, MS 89 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line IFR Weather: mist calm 1.25 mi none 425 ft 05:15 UTC
OLV Olive Branch, MS 148 nm out, 2 nm west of the line, tower VFR from the south (180°) at 5 knots 10+ mi none 401 ft 05:15 UTC
DRP Colt, AR 198 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line VFR from the south (190°) at 7 knots 10+ mi none 238 ft 05:15 UTC
SRC Searcy, AR 247 nm out, 4 nm north of the line VFR calm 10+ mi none 264 ft 04:56 UTC
CXW Conway, AR 287 nm out, 12 nm south of the line VFR calm 10+ mi none 276 ft 05:05 UTC
RUE Russellville, AR 316 nm out, 3 nm east of the line VFR from the east-northeast (060°) at 3 knots 10+ mi none 409 ft 04:53 UTC
FSM Fort Smith, AR destination VFR calm 10+ mi none 469 ft 11:53 pm CDT (04:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 628 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At FSM when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 4:06 am CDT (09:06 UTC)

Wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, clear skies VFR

The whole forecast for FSM
  • From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, clear skies
  • From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 10 knots, gusting to 18, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 10,000 feet
  • From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for HSV, the departure
  • From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility 6 miles, mist, clear skies
  • At times between Mon 3:00 am CDT (08:00 UTC) and 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): visibility 2 miles, mist, clear skies
  • From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the west at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies

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 HSV 6:16 pm CDT (23:16 UTC), at FSM 6:46 pm CDT (23:46 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:11 pm CDT (00:11 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at FSM is before sunrise there (7:20 am CDT (12:20 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 lower Mississippi valley
Radar now, the lower 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: Huntsville Intl-Carl T Jones Field, Fort Smith Regional.