The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Sun 7:48 pm EDT (23:48 UTC)

Lakeland Linder International to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International LAL → MSY

449 nautical miles (517 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 288°, about 294° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6W). At 120 knots that is 4 h 03 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 9-knot headwind), arriving about 10:51 pm CDT (03:51 UTC), after sunset at the destination. 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: 60 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 6W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 28,000 ft to 40,000 ft. Over the route from 299 to 359 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 LAL.

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 20:00–03:00 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 (PIE, TLH, MOB, MSY). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft320° at 11 kt+9 kt111 kt4 h 03 min10:51 pm CDT (03:51 UTC)
6,500 ft330° at 15 kt+11 kt16 °C109 kt4 h 07 min10:55 pm CDT (03:55 UTC)
8,500 ft310° at 14 kt+13 kt14 °C107 kt4 h 12 min11:00 pm CDT (04:00 UTC)
10,500 ft300° at 16 kt+15 kt10 °C105 kt4 h 17 min11:05 pm CDT (04:05 UTC)
12,500 ft290° at 17 kt+17 kt7 °C103 kt4 h 22 min11:10 pm CDT (04:10 UTC)
14,500 ft290° at 17 kt+16 kt2 °C104 kt4 h 19 min11:07 pm CDT (04:07 UTC)
16,500 ft280° at 16 kt+16 kt-2 °C104 kt4 h 19 min11:07 pm CDT (04:07 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180280° at 16 kt+16 kt-6 °C104 kt4 h 19 min11:07 pm CDT (04:07 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240270° at 20 kt+19 kt-17 °C101 kt4 h 27 min11:15 pm CDT (04:15 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300290° at 22 kt+22 kt-32 °C98 kt4 h 35 min11:23 pm CDT (04:23 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340280° at 16 kt+15 kt-42 °C105 kt4 h 17 min11:05 pm CDT (04:05 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390260° at 15 kt+14 kt-51 °C106 kt4 h 14 min11:02 pm CDT (04:02 UTC)

Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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
PIEused from 0 nm out; 17 nm from the line310/7270/12 17°270/14 13°260/14 8°240/22 -5°230/24 -16°220/26 -31°200/31 -41°180/33 -53°
TLHused from 150 nm out; 104 nm from the line300/17340/32 17°320/27 13°300/27 8°280/23 -7°250/37 -17°230/44 -33°220/53 -41°220/48 -51°
MOBused from 249 nm out; 106 nm from the line310/7350/18 18°330/16 12°300/18 7°320/17 -6°330/27 -17°340/52 -33°350/53 -43°330/38 -50°
MSYused from 399 nm out; 25 nm from the lineL/V020/6 18°L/V 12°300/11 7°330/15 -4°320/22 -16°330/38 -32°350/47 -42°340/56 -52°

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
LAL Lakeland, FL departure no report just now 141 ft
TPA Tampa, FL 30 nm out, 10 nm south of the line, tower no report just now 26 ft
MSY New Orleans, LA destination no report just now 3 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 141 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At MSY when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:51 pm CDT (03:51 UTC)

MSY 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 LAL 7:03 pm EDT (23:03 UTC), at MSY 6:34 pm CDT (23:34 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:58 pm CDT (23:58 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at MSY is after sunset there (6:34 pm CDT (23:34 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: Lakeland Linder International, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International.