Wilmington International to Columbia Metro Airport ILM → CAE
161 nautical miles (185 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 264°, about 274° magnetic at the departure end (variation 10W). At 120 knots that is 1 h 27 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 9-knot headwind), arriving about 8:38 am EDT (12:38 UTC). Right now ILM is IFR, wind from the west (260°) at 10 knots; CAE is VFR, wind from the west (280°) 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: 1 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
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 30,000 ft to 41,000 ft. Over the first 28 nm of the 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 ILM.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
No pilot reports within 50 nautical miles of the line in the last three hours.
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 08:00–15:00 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 3 forecast points nearest it (ILM, FLO, CAE). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,500 ft | 320° at 17 kt | +9 kt | 111 kt | 1 h 27 min | 8:38 am EDT (12:38 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 320° at 18 kt | +10 kt | 12 °C | 110 kt | 1 h 28 min | 8:39 am EDT (12:39 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 310° at 20 kt | +13 kt | 10 °C | 107 kt | 1 h 30 min | 8:41 am EDT (12:41 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 310° at 25 kt | +17 kt | 6 °C | 103 kt | 1 h 34 min | 8:45 am EDT (12:45 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 310° at 29 kt | +21 kt | 3 °C | 99 kt | 1 h 38 min | 8:49 am EDT (12:49 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 300° at 31 kt | +23 kt | -1 °C | 97 kt | 1 h 40 min | 8:51 am EDT (12:51 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 300° at 33 kt | +25 kt | -5 °C | 95 kt | 1 h 42 min | 8:53 am EDT (12:53 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 300° at 35 kt | +27 kt | -8 °C | 93 kt | 1 h 44 min | 8:55 am EDT (12:55 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 290° at 35 kt | +31 kt | -19 °C | 89 kt | 1 h 49 min | 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 280° at 35 kt | +33 kt | -32 °C | 87 kt | 1 h 51 min | 9:02 am EDT (13:02 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 290° at 31 kt | +28 kt | -40 °C | 92 kt | 1 h 45 min | 8:56 am EDT (12:56 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 300° at 32 kt | +25 kt | -49 °C | 95 kt | 1 h 42 min | 8:53 am EDT (12:53 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 06:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 12:00 UTC for use 08:00 to 15:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ILM | used from 0 nm out; 24 nm from the line | 300/18 | 300/22 13° | 300/21 8° | 290/28 4° | 280/38 -7° | 270/40 -18° | 250/49 -32° | 250/50 -40° | 270/33 -50° |
| FLO | used from 47 nm out; 20 nm from the line | 330/17 | 330/17 12° | 320/21 9° | 310/29 4° | 310/36 -8° | 300/36 -19° | 290/34 -32° | 300/29 -40° | 310/34 -48° |
| CAE | used from 142 nm out; 9 nm from the line | 340/17 | 330/15 12° | 320/22 9° | 320/31 5° | 330/35 -7° | 320/33 -19° | 340/40 -32° | 350/43 -39° | 320/35 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ILM Wilmington, NC | departure | IFR Sky: a broken layer at 700 feet | from the west (260°) at 10 knots | 10+ mi | 700 ft | 31 ft | 6:53 am EDT (10:53 UTC) |
| CPC Whiteville, NC | 38 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line | IFR Sky: overcast at 600 feet | from the west (270°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | 600 ft | 99 ft | 10:55 UTC |
| CRE North Myrtle Beach, SC | 47 nm out, 23 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the west (280°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 31 ft | 10:53 UTC |
| FLO Florence, SC | 95 nm out, 7 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the west-southwest (240°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 146 ft | 10:53 UTC |
| SMS Sumter, SC | 123 nm out, 2 nm south of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 182 ft | 10:50 UTC |
| CAE Columbia, SC | destination | VFR | from the west (280°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 235 ft | 6:56 am EDT (10:56 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 235 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At CAE when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:38 am EDT (12:38 UTC)
Wind from the west-southwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for CAE
- From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for ILM, the departure
- From Mon 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC): wind from the west at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 900 feet
- At times between Mon 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC) and 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC): a broken layer at 700 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 12 knots, gusting to 19, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 2,500 feet
- From Mon 10:00 pm EDT (02:00 UTC): wind calm, 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 ILM 6:41 pm EDT (22:41 UTC), at CAE 6:54 pm EDT (22:54 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:19 pm EDT (23:19 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: Wilmington International, Columbia Metro Airport.