George Bush Intcntl/Houston Airport to Chicago/Rockford International IAH → RFD
793 nautical miles (912 statute miles) north on a straight line, true course 021°, about 018° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 55 min at the quickest height in today's winds (3,500 ft, a 14-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:42 am CDT (05:42 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: 785 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 IAH.
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 20:00–03:00 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 10 forecast points nearest it (HOU, CLL, SHV, LIT, SGF, COU, STL, SPI, BRL, JOT). 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 | 210° at 13 kt | −14 kt | 134 kt | 5 h 55 min | 12:42 am CDT (05:42 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 230° at 14 kt | −13 kt | 133 kt | 5 h 58 min | 12:45 am CDT (05:45 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 240° at 17 kt | −14 kt | 14 °C | 134 kt | 5 h 55 min | 12:42 am CDT (05:42 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 250° at 20 kt | −14 kt | 10 °C | 134 kt | 5 h 55 min | 12:42 am CDT (05:42 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 260° at 18 kt | −10 kt | 7 °C | 130 kt | 6 h 06 min | 12:53 am CDT (05:53 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 270° at 17 kt | −7 kt | 3 °C | 127 kt | 6 h 15 min | 1:02 am CDT (06:02 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 280° at 17 kt | −4 kt | -1 °C | 124 kt | 6 h 24 min | 1:11 am CDT (06:11 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 290° at 16 kt | −1 kt | -5 °C | 121 kt | 6 h 33 min | 1:20 am CDT (06:20 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 290° at 16 kt | −1 kt | -6 °C | 121 kt | 6 h 33 min | 1:20 am CDT (06:20 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 300° at 20 kt | +3 kt | -17 °C | 117 kt | 6 h 47 min | 1:34 am CDT (06:34 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 310° at 38 kt | +10 kt | -32 °C | 110 kt | 7 h 13 min | 2:00 am CDT (07:00 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 310° at 41 kt | +12 kt | -42 °C | 108 kt | 7 h 21 min | 2:08 am CDT (07:08 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 49 kt | +15 kt | -52 °C | 105 kt | 7 h 33 min | 2:20 am CDT (07:20 UTC) |
Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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; 44 nm from the line | 160/18 | 160/14 17° | 180/19 12° | 190/11 8° | 260/12 -4° | 260/14 -13° | 310/26 -30° | 310/30 -40° | 320/21 -52° |
| CLL | used from 50 nm out; 86 nm from the line | 160/18 | 190/18 16° | 200/19 12° | 220/14 7° | 260/18 -5° | 250/20 -13° | 290/29 -29° | 290/31 -40° | 300/22 -53° |
| SHV | used from 99 nm out; 46 nm from the line | 190/11 | 230/19 17° | 230/26 12° | 260/15 7° | 280/16 -4° | 300/17 -15° | 300/34 -30° | 300/31 -41° | 310/42 -52° |
| LIT | used from 248 nm out; 66 nm from the line | 220/12 | 250/12 17° | 250/18 12° | 260/22 6° | 310/14 -5° | 310/25 -17° | 310/40 -31° | 310/38 -41° | 310/46 -52° |
| SGF | used from 396 nm out; 70 nm from the line | 210/21 | 210/21 16° | 240/28 12° | 260/24 7° | 280/21 -6° | 280/26 -18° | 290/38 -31° | 290/37 -41° | 300/49 -52° |
| COU | used from 495 nm out; 59 nm from the line | 210/16 | 220/19 15° | 240/33 10° | 250/29 7° | 280/21 -6° | 280/19 -18° | 300/34 -31° | 300/40 -42° | 300/60 -52° |
| STL | used from 545 nm out; 32 nm from the line | 210/13 | 260/16 17° | 270/21 10° | 280/24 5° | 310/20 -7° | 320/22 -18° | 320/44 -33° | 320/59 -43° | 310/69 -51° |
| SPI | used from 595 nm out; 48 nm from the line | 210/13 | 260/11 17° | 270/18 10° | 290/21 4° | 310/20 -8° | 330/25 -19° | 320/49 -34° | 320/60 -44° | 320/59 -50° |
| BRL | used from 694 nm out; 64 nm from the line | 200/20 | 250/21 16° | 240/22 10° | 260/20 5° | 270/16 -7° | 290/22 -18° | 320/41 -34° | 320/56 -43° | 310/68 -53° |
| JOT | used from 743 nm out; 55 nm from the line | 230/11 | 290/12 16° | 300/19 10° | 320/19 4° | 300/17 -9° | 330/31 -20° | 320/49 -37° | 320/53 -45° | 320/67 -49° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IAH Houston, TX | departure | no report just now | 95 ft | ||||
| CXO Houston, TX | 20 nm out, 11 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 244 ft | ||||
| GGG Longview, TX | 149 nm out, 21 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 365 ft | ||||
| TXK Texarkana, AR | 218 nm out, 10 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 389 ft | ||||
| HOT Hot Springs, AR | 297 nm out, 10 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 540 ft | ||||
| MPJ Morrilton, AR | 337 nm out, 4 nm south of the line | no report just now | 923 ft | ||||
| BPK Mountain Home, AR | 406 nm out, 7 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 928 ft | ||||
| TBN Fort Leonard Wood, MO | 495 nm out, 23 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,159 ft | ||||
| SUS St Louis, MO | 575 nm out, 21 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 463 ft | ||||
| PIA Peoria, IL | 694 nm out, 14 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 660 ft | ||||
| RPJ Rochelle, IL | 773 nm out, 9 nm east of the line | no report just now | 780 ft | ||||
| RFD Chicago/Rockford, IL | destination | no report just now | 742 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,159 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At RFD when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:42 am CDT (05:42 UTC)
RFD 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 IAH 6:55 pm CDT (23:55 UTC), at RFD 6:21 pm CDT (23:21 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:49 pm CDT (23:49 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at RFD is before sunrise there (7:05 am CDT (12:05 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: George Bush Intcntl/Houston Airport, Chicago/Rockford International.