The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Sun 11:33 pm EDT (03:33 UTC)

Wilmington International to Nashville International ILM → BNA

445 nautical miles (512 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 287°, about 297° magnetic at the departure end (variation 10W). At 120 knots that is 4 h 10 min at the quickest height in today's winds (6,500 ft, a 13-knot headwind), arriving about 2:43 am CDT (07:43 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now ILM is VFR, wind from the west-southwest (240°) at 12 knots; BNA is VFR, wind from the south (180°) at 5 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: 147 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 TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 10,000 ft. Over the route from 198 to 267 nm out.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 247 to 356 nm out.
  • 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 route from 306 to 435 nm out.

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 ILM.

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 5 forecast points nearest it (ILM, FLO, GSP, TYS, BNA). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft320° at 18 kt+15 kt105 kt4 h 14 min2:47 am CDT (07:47 UTC)
6,500 ft330° at 18 kt+13 kt12 °C107 kt4 h 10 min2:43 am CDT (07:43 UTC)
8,500 ft320° at 22 kt+17 kt9 °C103 kt4 h 19 min2:52 am CDT (07:52 UTC)
10,500 ft320° at 24 kt+20 kt6 °C100 kt4 h 27 min3:00 am CDT (08:00 UTC)
12,500 ft310° at 25 kt+22 kt4 °C98 kt4 h 32 min3:05 am CDT (08:05 UTC)
14,500 ft300° at 27 kt+25 kt0 °C95 kt4 h 41 min3:14 am CDT (08:14 UTC)
16,500 ft300° at 29 kt+27 kt-3 °C93 kt4 h 47 min3:20 am CDT (08:20 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180290° at 30 kt+29 kt-6 °C91 kt4 h 53 min3:26 am CDT (08:26 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240290° at 32 kt+31 kt-18 °C89 kt5 h3:33 am CDT (08:33 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300280° at 35 kt+34 kt-33 °C86 kt5 h 10 min3:43 am CDT (08:43 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340280° at 40 kt+38 kt-39 °C82 kt5 h 26 min3:59 am CDT (08:59 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390290° at 34 kt+33 kt-49 °C87 kt5 h 07 min3:40 am CDT (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
ILMused from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line270/22270/23 11°260/35 10°240/41 6°240/49 -5°240/61 -16°230/74 -30°220/79 -40°230/71 -51°
FLOused from 49 nm out; 32 nm from the line300/16320/14 12°320/19 7°290/26 5°260/39 -6°250/45 -18°230/62 -32°230/83 -40°230/64 -51°
GSPused from 148 nm out; 48 nm from the line320/22340/19 13°320/18 8°310/24 5°300/34 -7°300/36 -18°290/30 -33°300/32 -39°320/42 -49°
TYSused from 247 nm out; 43 nm from the line320/20340/18 11°340/32 9°340/36 4°330/37 -7°330/38 -19°330/50 -34°330/53 -38°330/44 -48°
BNAused from 395 nm out; 25 nm from the line310/20340/20 17°330/24 10°340/22 5°330/26 -6°340/29 -18°330/52 -33°320/62 -41°340/45 -50°

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
ILM Wilmington, NC departure VFR from the west-southwest (240°) at 12 knots 10+ mi none 31 ft 10:53 pm EDT (02:53 UTC)
EYF Elizabethtown, NC 40 nm out, 9 nm northeast of the line VFR from the southwest (220°) at 8 knots 10+ mi none 131 ft 03:15 UTC
LBT Lumberton, NC 59 nm out, 3 nm north of the line VFR Sky: a broken layer at 5,000 feet from the southwest (230°) at 8 knots 10+ mi 5,000 ft 124 ft 02:56 UTC
CQW Cheraw, SC 109 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line VFR from the south-southwest (200°) at 6 knots 10+ mi none 238 ft 03:15 UTC
CLT Charlotte, NC 158 nm out, 13 nm north of the line, tower VFR Sky: a few clouds at 5,500 feet from the west-southwest (240°) at 8 knots 10+ mi none 747 ft 02:52 UTC
GSP Greer, SC 217 nm out, 22 nm south of the line, tower VFR from the west-southwest (240°) at 5 knots 10+ mi none 963 ft 02:53 UTC
AVL Asheville, NC 237 nm out, 6 nm north of the line, tower VFR from the north-northwest (340°) at 8 knots 10+ mi none 2,163 ft 02:54 UTC
GKT Sevierville, TN 296 nm out, 19 nm northeast of the line marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 2,500 feet from the southwest (230°) at 5 knots, gusting to 12 10+ mi 2,500 ft 1,013 ft 03:16 UTC
TYS Knoxville, TN 316 nm out, 11 nm northeast of the line, tower marginal VFR Sky: a few clouds at 1,300 feet, overcast at 2,000 feet from the southwest (230°) at 6 knots 10+ mi 2,000 ft 986 ft 02:53 UTC
CSV Crossville, TN 365 nm out, 7 nm north of the line VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 600 feet calm 7 mi none 1,881 ft 03:22 UTC
MBT Murfreesboro, TN 425 nm out, 12 nm southwest of the line VFR calm 10+ mi none 614 ft 03:15 UTC
BNA Nashville, TN destination VFR from the south (180°) at 5 knots 10+ mi none 599 ft 9:53 pm CDT (02:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 2,163 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At BNA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:43 am CDT (07:43 UTC)

Wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR

The whole forecast for BNA
  • From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
  • From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 20,000 feet
  • From Mon 8:00 pm CDT (01:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for ILM, the departure
  • From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 3,500 feet
  • From Mon 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the west at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 4,500 feet
  • From Mon 11:00 am EDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 12 knots, gusting to 18, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 4,000 feet
  • From Mon 5:00 pm EDT (21:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 4,000 feet

Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it

  • 6/8508 Johnsontown, NC 14 nm from the route, 40 nm along the route · security · ZDC
  • 6/8713 Maxton, NC, Friday, October 16, 2026 through Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC 5 nm from the route, 79 nm along the route · air shows/sports · starts Friday 16 October · ZDC
  • 6/0708 Goodlettsville, TN, Saturday, August 1, 2026 through Sunday, August 1, 2027 UTC 13 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · until 1 August · ZME

Daylight

Sunset at ILM 6:41 pm EDT (22:41 UTC), at BNA 6:15 pm CDT (23:15 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:40 pm CDT (23:40 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at BNA is before sunrise there (6:50 am CDT (11:50 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 Southeast
Radar now, the Southeast · loop National Weather Service
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: Wilmington International, Nashville International.