The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 2:08 am CDT (07:08 UTC)

Lake Charles Regional to Phoenix Sky Harbor International LCH → PHX

978 nautical miles (1,125 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 287°, about 284° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3E). At 120 knots that is 8 h 13 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 1-knot headwind), arriving about 8:21 am MST (15:21 UTC). Right now LCH is IFR, wind from the east-southeast (120°) at 3 knots; PHX is VFR, wind from the east-southeast (110°) at 4 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 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 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Near the route, 818 nm along the route.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 868 to 938 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 35,000 ft to 45,000 ft. Over the last 10 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 LCH.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

  • B737 at 14,000 ft, 30 nm north, 12:15 am CDT (05:15 UTC): moderate turbulence, remarks: during the descent through clouds. At the destination end, 30 nm north of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    PHX UA /OV PXR339030/TM 0515/FL140/TP B737/TB OCNL MOD/RM DURD THROUGH CLOUDS
    Report
    a routine report filed through PHX
    Where
    30 nm north (339°) of PXR
    Time
    05:15 UTC
    Height
    at 14,000 ft
    Aircraft
    B737
    Turbulence
    occasional moderate
    Remarks
    during the descent through clouds

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 9 forecast points nearest it (LCH, HOU, CLL, ABI, INK, ROW, ELP, TUS, PHX). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft190° at 19 kt+1 kt17 °C119 kt8 h 13 min8:21 am MST (15:21 UTC)
6,500 ft200° at 20 kt+1 kt16 °C119 kt8 h 13 min8:21 am MST (15:21 UTC)
8,500 ft200° at 20 kt+3 kt13 °C117 kt8 h 22 min8:30 am MST (15:30 UTC)
10,500 ft210° at 19 kt+7 kt10 °C113 kt8 h 39 min8:47 am MST (15:47 UTC)
12,500 ft220° at 20 kt+10 kt6 °C110 kt8 h 53 min9:01 am MST (16:01 UTC)
14,500 ft220° at 23 kt+13 kt2 °C107 kt9 h 08 min9:16 am MST (16:16 UTC)
16,500 ft230° at 26 kt+16 kt-2 °C104 kt9 h 24 min9:32 am MST (16:32 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180230° at 28 kt+18 kt-5 °C102 kt9 h 35 min9:43 am MST (16:43 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240230° at 39 kt+27 kt-15 °C93 kt10 h 31 min10:39 am MST (17:39 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300240° at 46 kt+36 kt-28 °C84 kt11 h 39 min11:47 am MST (18:47 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340250° at 44 kt+39 kt-38 °C81 kt12 h 04 min12:12 pm MST (19:12 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390260° at 39 kt+38 kt-50 °C82 kt11 h 56 min12:04 pm MST (19:04 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
LCHused from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line160/21160/18 18°180/13 12°230/6 8°280/10 -4°260/13 -14°310/29 -30°320/32 -40°330/33 -53°
HOUused from 50 nm out; 61 nm from the line160/22150/27 19°180/16 14°250/7 9°270/10 -5°270/16 -13°310/23 -29°310/26 -40°330/20 -52°
CLLused from 100 nm out; 43 nm from the line170/22170/26 18°200/15 14°240/13 8°240/15 -5°260/17 -13°290/27 -29°290/22 -40°320/30 -51°
ABIused from 249 nm out; 94 nm from the line200/31 17°210/21 15°240/15 9°250/14 -4°250/24 -14°250/36 -28°270/35 -38°290/41 -50°
INKused from 449 nm out; 56 nm from the line190/23 20°200/18 15°230/18 8°240/23 -4°240/37 -14°240/46 -27°250/42 -38°260/36 -50°
ROWused from 549 nm out; 58 nm from the line190/33210/27 14°220/28 6°230/36 -6°230/56 -15°230/63 -27°250/59 -37°260/57 -49°
ELPused from 649 nm out; 57 nm from the line290/17210/11 13°200/18 5°220/46 -6°230/64 -14°230/63 -27°240/55 -37°240/44 -48°
TUSused from 798 nm out; 116 nm from the line210/13 13°200/35 9°210/40 5°220/50 -7°220/59 -18°230/79 -26°230/84 -35°230/84 -48°
PHXused from 898 nm out; 55 nm from the line150/5200/21 12°200/27 6°200/35 3°220/58 -8°220/69 -19°220/87 -26°230/93 -35°230/79 -47°

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
LCH Lake Charles, LA departure IFR Weather: mist from the east-southeast (120°) at 3 knots 2.5 mi none 14 ft 1:53 am CDT (06:53 UTC)
BPT Beaumont/Port Arthur, TX 40 nm out, 22 nm south of the line, tower VFR from the southeast (140°) at 5 knots 10+ mi none 14 ft 06:53 UTC
CLL College Station, TX 160 nm out, 18 nm southwest of the line, tower VFR from the south-southeast (150°) at 6 knots 10+ mi none 320 ft 06:53 UTC
GRK Fort Hood (Killeen), TX 239 nm out, 10 nm southwest of the line, tower VFR Sky: a few clouds at 1,700 feet, scattered clouds at 18,000 feet from the south-southeast (150°) at 8 knots 9 mi none 1,015 ft 06:55 UTC
SJT San Angelo, TX 379 nm out, 24 nm south of the line, tower VFR from the south (170°) at 6 knots 10+ mi none 1,918 ft 06:51 UTC
MAF Midland, TX 479 nm out, 9 nm south of the line, tower VFR from the south (180°) at 13 knots 10+ mi none 2,872 ft 06:53 UTC
CNM Carlsbad, NM 579 nm out, 7 nm southwest of the line VFR from the south-southeast (150°) at 5 knots 10+ mi none 3,294 ft 06:53 UTC
ALM Alamogordo, NM 669 nm out, 9 nm north of the line VFR Sky: a broken layer at 8,000 feet, a broken layer at 12,000 feet from the northeast (040°) at 4 knots 10+ mi 8,000 ft 4,199 ft 06:55 UTC
TCS Truth Or Consequences, NM 738 nm out, 21 nm north of the line VFR from the north-northwest (330°) at 6 knots 10+ mi none 4,861 ft 06:53 UTC
CFT Clifton/Morenci, AZ 838 nm out, 11 nm south of the line no report just now 3,797 ft
IWA Phoenix, AZ 958 nm out, 6 nm south of the line, tower VFR calm 10+ mi none 1,384 ft 06:50 UTC
PHX Phoenix, AZ destination VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 4,800 feet, scattered clouds at 7,000 feet, a broken layer at 9,500 feet from the east-southeast (110°) at 4 knots 10+ mi 9,500 ft 1,134 ft 11:51 pm MST (06:51 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 4,861 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At PHX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:21 am MST (15:21 UTC)

Wind from the east-southeast at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 4,000 feet, scattered clouds at 7,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for PHX
  • From Sun 11:00 pm MST (06:00 UTC): wind from the east-southeast at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 4,000 feet, scattered clouds at 7,000 feet
  • From Mon 9:00 am MST (16:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 4,000 feet, a broken layer at 7,000 feet
  • From Mon 1:00 pm MST (20:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 23, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 5,000 feet, a broken layer at 7,000 feet
  • From Mon 6:00 pm MST (01:00 UTC): wind from the west at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 5,000 feet, a broken layer at 7,000 feet
  • From Mon 10:00 pm MST (05:00 UTC): wind from the east-southeast at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, scattered clouds at 5,000 feet, a broken layer at 7,000 feet
The forecast for LCH, the departure
  • From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 8:00 pm CDT (01:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet

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

  • 6/0543 MCGREGOR, TX 14 nm from the route, 229 nm along the route · security · ZFW
  • 6/4240 SAN ANGELO, TX, Sunday, March 8, 2026 through Sunday, November 1, 2026 Local 22 nm from the route, 379 nm along the route · security · until 1 November · ZFW
  • 6/8722 ALAMOGORDO, NM, Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Local 13 nm from the route, 678 nm along the route · security · starts tomorrow · ZAB

Daylight

Sunset at LCH 6:45 pm CDT (23:45 UTC), at PHX 5:57 pm MST (00:57 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:22 pm MST (01:22 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 lower Mississippi valley
Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the southern Plains
Radar now, the southern Plains · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the southern Rockies
Radar now, the southern Rockies · 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: Lake Charles Regional, Phoenix Sky Harbor International.