George Bush Intcntl/Houston Airport to Louisville Muhammad Ali International IAH → SDF
685 nautical miles (788 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 042°, about 039° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 19 min at the quickest height in today's winds (9,500 ft, a 9-knot tailwind), arriving about 2:57 am EDT (06:57 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: 3,956 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 8 forecast points nearest it (HOU, LCH, SHV, LIT, MEM, BNA, EVV, LOU). 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 | 240° at 7 kt | −7 kt | 127 kt | 5 h 24 min | 3:02 am EDT (07:02 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 280° at 10 kt | −5 kt | 125 kt | 5 h 29 min | 3:07 am EDT (07:07 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 280° at 13 kt | −7 kt | 14 °C | 127 kt | 5 h 24 min | 3:02 am EDT (07:02 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 280° at 16 kt | −9 kt | 10 °C | 129 kt | 5 h 19 min | 2:57 am EDT (06:57 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 290° at 19 kt | −7 kt | 7 °C | 127 kt | 5 h 24 min | 3:02 am EDT (07:02 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 300° at 19 kt | −4 kt | 3 °C | 124 kt | 5 h 31 min | 3:09 am EDT (07:09 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 310° at 20 kt | −2 kt | -1 °C | 122 kt | 5 h 37 min | 3:15 am EDT (07:15 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 310° at 21 kt | 0 | -5 °C | 120 kt | 5 h 42 min | 3:20 am EDT (07:20 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 320° at 21 kt | 0 | -6 °C | 120 kt | 5 h 42 min | 3:20 am EDT (07:20 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 320° at 25 kt | +3 kt | -17 °C | 117 kt | 5 h 51 min | 3:29 am EDT (07:29 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 320° at 42 kt | +1 kt | -32 °C | 119 kt | 5 h 45 min | 3:23 am EDT (07:23 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 320° at 43 kt | +4 kt | -41 °C | 116 kt | 5 h 54 min | 3:32 am EDT (07:32 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 320° at 39 kt | +3 kt | -50 °C | 117 kt | 5 h 51 min | 3:29 am EDT (07:29 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; 41 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° |
| LCH | used from 50 nm out; 76 nm from the line | 190/6 | 180/8 18° | 170/13 12° | 220/12 7° | 290/10 -4° | 280/15 -14° | 320/30 -31° | 320/32 -40° | 320/39 -53° |
| SHV | used from 99 nm out; 56 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; 87 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° |
| MEM | used from 347 nm out; 36 nm from the line | 240/9 | 280/14 17° | 280/20 12° | 290/25 5° | 320/25 -6° | 330/31 -18° | 320/52 -32° | 330/58 -41° | 320/42 -50° |
| BNA | used from 496 nm out; 75 nm from the line | 280/13 | 340/34 16° | 330/38 10° | 330/44 5° | 330/39 -8° | 330/38 -19° | 320/49 -34° | 330/53 -40° | 330/35 -47° |
| EVV | used from 595 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 310/13 | 340/26 16° | 330/29 10° | 330/32 4° | 330/30 -9° | 340/38 -20° | 330/60 -35° | 320/57 -41° | 330/39 -48° |
| LOU | used from 645 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 320/15 | 340/24 14° | 330/28 9° | 340/34 4° | 340/37 -9° | 340/42 -20° | 320/39 -35° | 320/45 -39° | 330/40 -47° |
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 | ||||
| JAS Jasper, TX | 89 nm out, 15 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 212 ft | ||||
| IER Natchitoches, LA | 159 nm out, 16 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 121 ft | ||||
| MLU Monroe, LA | 228 nm out, 23 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 78 ft | ||||
| GLH Greenville, MS | 308 nm out, 21 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 130 ft | ||||
| OLV Olive Branch, MS | 407 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 401 ft | ||||
| MKL Jackson, TN | 466 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 434 ft | ||||
| HZD Huntingdon, TN | 506 nm out, 2 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 496 ft | ||||
| HVC Hopkinsville, KY | 576 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 563 ft | ||||
| EKX Elizabethtown, KY | 655 nm out, 16 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 775 ft | ||||
| SDF Louisville, KY | destination | no report just now | 500 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 775 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At SDF when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:57 am EDT (06:57 UTC)
SDF 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 6:54 pm CDT (23:54 UTC), at SDF 7:09 pm EDT (23:09 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:36 pm EDT (23:36 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at SDF is before sunrise there (7:48 am EDT (11:48 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, Louisville Muhammad Ali International.