Blue Grass Airport to Bessemer Ntl Airport LEX → EKY
305 nautical miles (351 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 202°, about 206° magnetic at the departure end (variation 4W). At 120 knots that is 1 h 57 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 36-knot tailwind), arriving about 3:27 am CDT (08:27 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now LEX is low IFR, wind from the west-southwest (240°) at 7 knots; EKY is marginal VFR, wind from the northeast (050°) at 16 knots, gusting to 23. 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 SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the first 236 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 LEX.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
No pilot reports within 50 nautical miles of the line in the last three hours.
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 4 forecast points nearest it (LOU, BNA, HSV, BHM). 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 | 320° at 20 kt | −11 kt | 131 kt | 2 h 20 min | 3:50 am CDT (08:50 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 340° at 23 kt | −16 kt | 16 °C | 136 kt | 2 h 15 min | 3:45 am CDT (08:45 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 330° at 26 kt | −16 kt | 11 °C | 136 kt | 2 h 15 min | 3:45 am CDT (08:45 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 340° at 25 kt | −17 kt | 7 °C | 137 kt | 2 h 14 min | 3:44 am CDT (08:44 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 340° at 24 kt | −18 kt | 4 °C | 138 kt | 2 h 13 min | 3:43 am CDT (08:43 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 340° at 24 kt | −16 kt | 0 °C | 136 kt | 2 h 15 min | 3:45 am CDT (08:45 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 330° at 24 kt | −15 kt | -4 °C | 135 kt | 2 h 16 min | 3:46 am CDT (08:46 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 330° at 25 kt | −14 kt | -7 °C | 134 kt | 2 h 17 min | 3:47 am CDT (08:47 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 340° at 33 kt | −24 kt | -18 °C | 144 kt | 2 h 07 min | 3:37 am CDT (08:37 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 330° at 53 kt | −32 kt | -33 °C | 152 kt | 2 h | 3:30 am CDT (08:30 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 330° at 62 kt | −36 kt | -41 °C | 156 kt | 1 h 57 min | 3:27 am CDT (08:27 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 340° at 42 kt | −29 kt | -50 °C | 149 kt | 2 h 03 min | 3:33 am CDT (08:33 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
| Point | From | 3,000 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 18,000 | 24,000 | 30,000 | 34,000 | 39,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOU | used from 0 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 310/18 | 340/28 16° | 340/29 10° | 350/27 3° | 330/27 -7° | 340/39 -19° | 330/58 -33° | 330/67 -41° | 330/40 -49° |
| BNA | used from 98 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 310/20 | 340/20 17° | 330/24 10° | 340/22 5° | 330/26 -6° | 340/29 -18° | 330/52 -33° | 320/62 -41° | 340/45 -50° |
| HSV | used from 197 nm out; 23 nm from the line | 310/20 | 330/20 16° | 320/27 11° | 340/23 5° | 320/23 -7° | 340/30 -17° | 320/50 -33° | 330/61 -41° | 340/41 -50° |
| BHM | used from 246 nm out; 17 nm from the line | 310/19 | 330/20 17° | 320/28 11° | 340/21 6° | 310/22 -7° | 330/33 -17° | 330/50 -32° | 330/57 -41° | 330/41 -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
| Airport | Where | Conditions | Wind | Visibility | Ceiling | Elevation | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEX Lexington, KY | departure | low IFR Sky: sky obscured at 200 feet Weather: mist | from the west-southwest (240°) at 7 knots | 1 mi | 200 ft | 979 ft | 1:54 am EDT (05:54 UTC) |
| DVK Danville, KY | 30 nm out, 4 nm east of the line | marginal VFR Weather: mist | from the south-southwest (200°) at 3 knots | 3 mi | none | 1,021 ft | 05:35 UTC |
| AAS Campbellsville, KY | 49 nm out, 15 nm west of the line | low IFR Sky: overcast at 100 feet | calm | 0.25 mi | 100 ft | 921 ft | 05:55 UTC |
| SRB Sparta, TN | 128 nm out, 4 nm east of the line | low IFR Sky: overcast at 200 feet Weather: fog | calm | 0.25 mi | 200 ft | 1,025 ft | 05:35 UTC |
| RNC Mc Minnville, TN | 148 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line | low IFR Sky: overcast at 100 feet Weather: fog | calm | 0.25 mi | 100 ft | 1,031 ft | 05:35 UTC |
| BGF Winchester, TN | 187 nm out, 2 nm north of the line | IFR Sky: a few clouds at 200 feet Weather: mist | calm | 2.5 mi | none | 978 ft | 05:35 UTC |
| HSV Huntsville, AL | 227 nm out, 22 nm west of the line, tower | VFR | from the east (100°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 628 ft | 05:53 UTC |
| BHM Birmingham, AL | 286 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 9 mi | none | 650 ft | 05:53 UTC |
| EKY Bessemer, AL | destination | marginal VFR Sky: a few clouds at 4,200 feet, a broken layer at 6,000 feet, overcast at 7,000 feet Weather: rain, mist | from the northeast (050°) at 16 knots, gusting to 23 | 4 mi | 6,000 ft | 699 ft | 10:56 pm CDT (03:56 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,031 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At EKY when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 3:27 am CDT (08:27 UTC)
EKY has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
The forecast for LEX, the departure
- From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the west at 4 knots, visibility ½ mile, fog, clear skies
- At times between Mon 5:00 am EDT (09:00 UTC) and 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): visibility ¼ mile, fog, overcast at 100 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
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 LEX 7:05 pm EDT (23:05 UTC), at EKY 6:18 pm CDT (23:18 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:43 pm CDT (23:43 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at EKY is before sunrise there (6:49 am CDT (11:49 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: Blue Grass Airport, Bessemer Ntl Airport.