Wilmington International to Blue Grass Airport ILM → LEX
396 nautical miles (455 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 307°, about 317° magnetic at the departure end (variation 10W). At 120 knots that is 4 h at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 21-knot headwind), arriving about 10:42 am EDT (14:42 UTC). 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 20 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). Over the route from 119 to 198 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 6,000 ft. Over the route from 168 to 247 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 29,000 ft to 40,000 ft. Over the route from 178 to 237 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, mist). Over the route from 198 to 346 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 last 178 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
Not fetched just now.
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 4 forecast points nearest it (ILM, RDU, TRI, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,500 ft | 330° at 23 kt | +21 kt | 11 °C | 99 kt | 4 h | 10:42 am EDT (14:42 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 330° at 24 kt | +21 kt | 12 °C | 99 kt | 4 h | 10:42 am EDT (14:42 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 340° at 28 kt | +23 kt | 9 °C | 97 kt | 4 h 05 min | 10:47 am EDT (14:47 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 340° at 28 kt | +24 kt | 7 °C | 96 kt | 4 h 08 min | 10:50 am EDT (14:50 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 330° at 28 kt | +25 kt | 4 °C | 95 kt | 4 h 10 min | 10:52 am EDT (14:52 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 330° at 31 kt | +28 kt | 0 °C | 92 kt | 4 h 18 min | 11:00 am EDT (15:00 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 330° at 33 kt | +30 kt | -4 °C | 90 kt | 4 h 24 min | 11:06 am EDT (15:06 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 330° at 35 kt | +32 kt | -7 °C | 88 kt | 4 h 30 min | 11:12 am EDT (15:12 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 320° at 34 kt | +33 kt | -19 °C | 87 kt | 4 h 33 min | 11:15 am EDT (15:15 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 320° at 39 kt | +38 kt | -32 °C | 82 kt | 4 h 50 min | 11:32 am EDT (15:32 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 320° at 45 kt | +44 kt | -41 °C | 76 kt | 5 h 13 min | 11:55 am EDT (15:55 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 39 kt | +39 kt | -49 °C | 81 kt | 4 h 53 min | 11:35 am EDT (15:35 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; 25 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° |
| RDU | used from 49 nm out; 55 nm from the line | 330/30 | 340/24 12° | 330/26 7° | 320/30 3° | 330/39 -8° | 310/30 -20° | 300/33 -33° | 310/34 -39° | 310/41 -47° |
| TRI | used from 148 nm out; 86 nm from the line | 340/25 11° | 350/37 9° | 350/34 6° | 340/39 -7° | 340/43 -19° | 340/55 -32° | 330/58 -42° | 320/37 -50° | |
| LOU | used from 346 nm out; 75 nm from the line | 300/16 | 310/19 15° | 310/17 9° | 300/15 4° | 300/26 -6° | 280/34 -19° | 290/30 -34° | 310/49 -42° | 310/58 -51° |
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 | no report just now | 31 ft | ||||
| EYF Elizabethtown, NC | 40 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 131 ft | ||||
| FAY Fayetteville, NC | 69 nm out, 8 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 189 ft | ||||
| VUJ Albemarle, NC | 129 nm out, 10 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 609 ft | ||||
| INT Winston Salem, NC | 158 nm out, 23 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 969 ft | ||||
| UKF North Wilkesboro, NC | 198 nm out, 4 nm east of the line | no report just now | 1,303 ft | ||||
| TRI Bristol/Johnson/Kingsport, TN | 257 nm out, 20 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,518 ft | ||||
| LNP Wise, VA | 277 nm out, 2 nm north of the line | no report just now | 2,684 ft | ||||
| CPF Hazard, KY | 317 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 1,256 ft | ||||
| RGA Richmond, KY | 376 nm out, 14 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,002 ft | ||||
| LEX Lexington, KY | destination | no report just now | 979 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,684 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At LEX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:42 am EDT (14:42 UTC)
LEX has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8508 Johnsontown, NC 1 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 13 nm from the route, 79 nm along the route · air shows/sports · starts Friday 16 October · ZDC
Daylight
Sunset at ILM 6:41 pm EDT (22:41 UTC), at LEX 7:05 pm EDT (23:05 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:31 pm EDT (23:31 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, Blue Grass Airport.