The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 7:35 am EDT (11:35 UTC)

Purdue University Airport to Charleston Afb/Intl Airport LAF → CHS

560 nautical miles (644 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 142°, about 143° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 21 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 47-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:56 am EDT (14:56 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 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). Over the route from 40 to 350 nm out.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, mist). Over the route from 230 to 370 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 330 to 400 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 6,000 ft. Over the route from 330 to 400 nm out.
  • 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 380 to 390 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 30,000 ft to 41,000 ft. Over the last 80 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 LAF.

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 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 7 forecast points nearest it (IND, CVG, LOU, TRI, GSP, CAE, CHS). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
3,500 ft310° at 18 kt−18 kt138 kt4 h 03 min11:38 am EDT (15:38 UTC)
5,500 ft320° at 19 kt−19 kt11 °C139 kt4 h 02 min11:37 am EDT (15:37 UTC)
7,500 ft330° at 20 kt−20 kt11 °C140 kt4 h11:35 am EDT (15:35 UTC)
9,500 ft330° at 22 kt−22 kt8 °C142 kt3 h 57 min11:32 am EDT (15:32 UTC)
11,500 ft320° at 22 kt−22 kt6 °C142 kt3 h 57 min11:32 am EDT (15:32 UTC)
13,500 ft320° at 25 kt−25 kt2 °C145 kt3 h 52 min11:27 am EDT (15:27 UTC)
15,500 ft320° at 27 kt−27 kt-2 °C147 kt3 h 49 min11:24 am EDT (15:24 UTC)
17,500 ft320° at 30 kt−30 kt-6 °C150 kt3 h 44 min11:19 am EDT (15:19 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180320° at 31 kt−31 kt-7 °C151 kt3 h 43 min11:18 am EDT (15:18 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240310° at 32 kt−32 kt-19 °C152 kt3 h 41 min11:16 am EDT (15:16 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300310° at 36 kt−36 kt-33 °C156 kt3 h 35 min11:10 am EDT (15:10 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340320° at 46 kt−47 kt-41 °C167 kt3 h 21 min10:56 am EDT (14:56 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390310° at 44 kt−43 kt-50 °C163 kt3 h 26 min11:01 am EDT (15:01 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
INDused from 0 nm out; 26 nm from the line270/22290/19 15°270/19 8°270/18 4°290/28 -7°280/35 -20°270/37 -34°300/51 -42°300/61 -51°
CVGused from 100 nm out; 33 nm from the line300/19310/23 15°320/20 9°310/18 3°300/26 -6°290/36 -19°310/32 -34°310/53 -43°310/61 -51°
LOUused from 150 nm out; 49 nm from the line300/16310/19 15°310/17 9°300/15 4°300/26 -6°280/34 -19°290/30 -34°310/49 -42°310/58 -51°
TRIused from 250 nm out; 50 nm from the line340/25 11°350/37 9°350/34 6°340/39 -7°340/43 -19°340/55 -32°330/58 -42°320/37 -50°
GSPused from 350 nm out; 32 nm from the line340/30360/24 13°350/29 10°340/33 6°340/40 -7°350/44 -19°340/59 -31°350/55 -41°300/29 -50°
CAEused from 450 nm out; 9 nm from the line340/17330/15 12°320/22 9°320/31 5°330/35 -7°320/33 -19°340/40 -32°350/43 -39°320/35 -49°
CHSused from 500 nm out; 35 nm from the line330/14300/17 14°320/21 9°310/26 6°310/32 -6°280/34 -19°260/37 -32°280/30 -39°310/30 -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
LAF Lafayette, IN departure no report just now 605 ft
IND Indianapolis, IN 50 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line, tower no report just now 796 ft
BAK Columbus, IN 80 nm out, 6 nm south of the line, tower no report just now 656 ft
IMS Madison, IN 120 nm out, 7 nm southwest of the line no report just now 819 ft
LEX Lexington, KY 180 nm out, 2 nm west of the line, tower no report just now 979 ft
LOZ London, KY 240 nm out, 16 nm southwest of the line no report just now 1,212 ft
GCY Greeneville, TN 320 nm out, 2 nm northeast of the line no report just now 1,607 ft
AVL Asheville, NC 360 nm out, 15 nm southwest of the line, tower no report just now 2,163 ft
GSP Greer, SC 400 nm out, 20 nm southwest of the line, tower no report just now 963 ft
CAE Columbia, SC 480 nm out, 9 nm west of the line, tower no report just now 235 ft
OGB Orangeburg, SC 510 nm out, 15 nm southwest of the line no report just now 195 ft
CHS Charleston, SC destination no report just now 46 ft

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 CHS when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:56 am EDT (14:56 UTC)

CHS 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 LAF 7:12 pm EDT (23:12 UTC), at CHS 6:50 pm EDT (22:50 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:15 pm EDT (23:15 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 central Great Lakes
Radar now, the central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley
Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the Southeast
Radar now, the Southeast · 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: Purdue University Airport, Charleston Afb/Intl Airport.