The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 4:20 am EDT (08:20 UTC)

New Castle Airport to Lehigh Valley International ILG → ABE

59 nautical miles (68 statute miles) north on a straight line, true course 007°, about 017° magnetic at the departure end (variation 10W). At 120 knots that is 19 min at the quickest height in today's winds (30,000 ft, a 69-knot tailwind), arriving about 4:39 am EDT (08:39 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now ILG is marginal VFR, wind from the north-northeast (030°) at 12 knots; ABE is marginal 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, fog). Over the whole route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the whole 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 ILG.

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 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 2 forecast points nearest it (ACY, AVP). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
3,500 ft220° at 16 kt−13 kt133 kt27 min4:47 am EDT (08:47 UTC)
5,500 ft230° at 14 kt−11 kt131 kt27 min4:47 am EDT (08:47 UTC)
7,500 ft220° at 23 kt−19 kt12 °C139 kt25 min4:45 am EDT (08:45 UTC)
9,500 ft220° at 32 kt−28 kt8 °C148 kt24 min4:44 am EDT (08:44 UTC)
11,500 ft210° at 31 kt−28 kt6 °C148 kt24 min4:44 am EDT (08:44 UTC)
13,500 ft220° at 32 kt−27 kt2 °C147 kt24 min4:44 am EDT (08:44 UTC)
15,500 ft220° at 32 kt−27 kt-3 °C147 kt24 min4:44 am EDT (08:44 UTC)
17,500 ft220° at 33 kt−27 kt-7 °C147 kt24 min4:44 am EDT (08:44 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180220° at 33 kt−27 kt-8 °C147 kt24 min4:44 am EDT (08:44 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240240° at 46 kt−28 kt-21 °C148 kt24 min4:44 am EDT (08:44 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300220° at 84 kt−69 kt-32 °C189 kt19 min4:39 am EDT (08:39 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340230° at 96 kt−71 kt-40 °C191 kt19 min4:39 am EDT (08:39 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390230° at 77 kt−55 kt-50 °C175 kt20 min4:40 am EDT (08:40 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
ACYused from 0 nm out; 58 nm from the line220/19220/18 14°210/36 9°210/35 5°220/36 -8°240/49 -21°220/90 -31°230/103 -40°230/81 -50°
AVPused from 49 nm out; 48 nm from the line150/5350/13 12°270/20 8°260/17 4°260/25 -11°240/31 -22°240/54 -35°230/61 -41°240/55 -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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
ILG Wilmington, DE departure marginal VFR Sky: a broken layer at 1,200 feet, overcast at 2,200 feet from the north-northeast (030°) at 12 knots 5 mi 1,200 ft 79 ft 3:51 am EDT (07:51 UTC)
RDG Reading, PA 39 nm out, 22 nm west of the line, tower IFR Sky: overcast at 800 feet from the north-northeast (020°) at 4 knots 10+ mi 800 ft 343 ft 07:54 UTC
ABE Allentown, PA destination marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,200 feet calm 10+ mi 1,200 ft 393 ft 3:51 am EDT (07:51 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 393 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At ABE when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 4:39 am EDT (08:39 UTC)

Wind from the northeast at 8 knots, visibility 6 miles, mist, showers nearby, overcast at 1,000 feet marginal VFR

At times between Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC) and 5:00 am EDT (09:00 UTC): visibility 5 miles, light rain showers, mist, a broken layer at 900 feet IFR

The whole forecast for ABE
  • From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the northeast at 8 knots, visibility 6 miles, mist, showers nearby, overcast at 1,000 feet
  • At times between Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC) and 5:00 am EDT (09:00 UTC): visibility 5 miles, light rain showers, mist, a broken layer at 900 feet
  • From Mon 7:00 am EDT (11:00 UTC): wind from the north at 6 knots, visibility 6 miles, mist, a broken layer at 2,000 feet
  • From Mon 11:00 am EDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 3,500 feet
  • From Mon 6:00 pm EDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 9:00 pm EDT (01:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for ILG, the departure
  • From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 8 knots, visibility 5 miles, light rain showers, mist, thunderstorms nearby, overcast at 700 feet (thunderheads)
  • From Mon 7:00 am EDT (11:00 UTC): wind from the north at 10 knots, visibility 5 miles, mist, overcast at 800 feet
  • From Mon 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): wind from the north at 10 knots, gusting to 15, visibility 6 miles, mist, a broken layer at 2,500 feet
  • From Mon 12:00 pm EDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the north at 10 knots, gusting to 17, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 5,000 feet
  • From Mon 6:00 pm EDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 9:00 pm EDT (01:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 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 ILG 6:28 pm EDT (22:28 UTC), at ABE 6:26 pm EDT (22:26 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:53 pm EDT (22:53 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at ABE is before sunrise there (7:09 am EDT (11:09 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 Northeast
Radar now, the Northeast · 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: New Castle Airport, Lehigh Valley International.