The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 10:45 am EDT (14:45 UTC)

Rickenbacker International to Richmond International LCK → RIC

297 nautical miles (342 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 116°, about 123° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7W). At 120 knots that is 1 h 45 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 49-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:30 pm EDT (16:30 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 1E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, mist). Over the first 168 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, mist). Over the route from 79 to 178 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 6,000 ft. Over the route from 149 to 248 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 LCK.

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 14:00–21:00 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 4 forecast points nearest it (CMH, CRW, EKN, RIC). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
5,500 ft320° at 20 kt−18 kt15 °C138 kt2 h 09 min12:54 pm EDT (16:54 UTC)
7,500 ft320° at 21 kt−19 kt12 °C139 kt2 h 08 min12:53 pm EDT (16:53 UTC)
9,500 ft330° at 22 kt−19 kt9 °C139 kt2 h 08 min12:53 pm EDT (16:53 UTC)
11,500 ft330° at 24 kt−20 kt5 °C140 kt2 h 07 min12:52 pm EDT (16:52 UTC)
13,500 ft320° at 25 kt−22 kt1 °C142 kt2 h 05 min12:50 pm EDT (16:50 UTC)
15,500 ft320° at 27 kt−25 kt-2 °C145 kt2 h 03 min12:48 pm EDT (16:48 UTC)
17,500 ft310° at 29 kt−28 kt-6 °C148 kt2 h12:45 pm EDT (16:45 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180310° at 29 kt−29 kt-7 °C149 kt2 h12:45 pm EDT (16:45 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240300° at 33 kt−33 kt-19 °C153 kt1 h 56 min12:41 pm EDT (16:41 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300300° at 37 kt−37 kt-35 °C157 kt1 h 54 min12:39 pm EDT (16:39 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340300° at 46 kt−47 kt-42 °C167 kt1 h 47 min12:32 pm EDT (16:32 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390310° at 50 kt−49 kt-50 °C169 kt1 h 45 min12:30 pm EDT (16:30 UTC)

Based on data from the 12th at 12:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 18:00 UTC for use 14:00 to 21:00 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
CMHused from 0 nm out; 30 nm from the line270/15280/20 14°280/21 9°290/26 4°290/29 -7°290/38 -20°280/44 -35°280/48 -42°310/61 -48°
CRWused from 50 nm out; 53 nm from the line270/8320/23 15°320/22 10°330/25 5°300/30 -6°290/34 -19°280/37 -35°290/48 -42°310/58 -50°
EKNused from 99 nm out; 32 nm from the line320/20 15°340/24 10°340/25 4°310/28 -7°290/32 -19°290/36 -36°300/49 -43°310/48 -50°
RICused from 248 nm out; 25 nm from the line350/24350/28 14°340/25 8°340/26 5°340/40 -6°340/44 -19°340/48 -33°330/45 -42°310/38 -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
LCK Columbus, OH departure no report just now 743 ft
PKB Parkersburg, WV 69 nm out, 7 nm east of the line, tower no report just now 858 ft
USW Spencer, WV 89 nm out, 21 nm south of the line no report just now 928 ft
EKN Elkins, WV 149 nm out, 16 nm northeast of the line no report just now 1,987 ft
SHD Staunton/Waynesboro/Harrisonburg, VA 208 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line no report just now 1,201 ft
CHO Charlottesville, VA 228 nm out, 8 nm northeast of the line, tower no report just now 640 ft
LKU Louisa, VA 258 nm out, 11 nm north of the line no report just now 493 ft
RIC Richmond, VA destination no report just now 167 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,987 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At RIC when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:30 pm EDT (16:30 UTC)

RIC 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 LCK 6:57 pm EDT (22:57 UTC), at RIC 6:36 pm EDT (22:36 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:02 pm EDT (23:02 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 Northeast
Radar now, the Northeast · 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: Rickenbacker International, Richmond International.