Blue Grass Airport to Washington Dulles International LEX → IAD
340 nautical miles (392 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 079°, about 083° magnetic at the departure end (variation 4W). At 120 knots that is 2 h 07 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 41-knot tailwind), arriving about 12:18 pm EDT (16:18 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: 2 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 route from 49 to 233 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, mist). Over the route from 117 to 253 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 6,000 ft. Over the route from 214 to 331 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 LEX.
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 3 forecast points nearest it (CVG, CRW, EKN). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,500 ft | 280° at 12 kt | −11 kt | 131 kt | 2 h 36 min | 12:47 pm EDT (16:47 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 310° at 19 kt | −12 kt | 15 °C | 132 kt | 2 h 35 min | 12:46 pm EDT (16:46 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 320° at 21 kt | −11 kt | 12 °C | 131 kt | 2 h 36 min | 12:47 pm EDT (16:47 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 320° at 21 kt | −9 kt | 9 °C | 129 kt | 2 h 38 min | 12:49 pm EDT (16:49 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 330° at 24 kt | −9 kt | 6 °C | 129 kt | 2 h 38 min | 12:49 pm EDT (16:49 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 320° at 25 kt | −13 kt | 2 °C | 133 kt | 2 h 33 min | 12:44 pm EDT (16:44 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 310° at 26 kt | −17 kt | -2 °C | 137 kt | 2 h 29 min | 12:40 pm EDT (16:40 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 300° at 28 kt | −21 kt | -6 °C | 141 kt | 2 h 25 min | 12:36 pm EDT (16:36 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 300° at 29 kt | −22 kt | -7 °C | 142 kt | 2 h 24 min | 12:35 pm EDT (16:35 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 290° at 34 kt | −29 kt | -19 °C | 149 kt | 2 h 17 min | 12:28 pm EDT (16:28 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 280° at 38 kt | −35 kt | -35 °C | 155 kt | 2 h 12 min | 12:23 pm EDT (16:23 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 290° at 49 kt | −41 kt | -42 °C | 161 kt | 2 h 07 min | 12:18 pm EDT (16:18 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 54 kt | −35 kt | -50 °C | 155 kt | 2 h 12 min | 12:23 pm EDT (16:23 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
| Point | From | 3,000 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 18,000 | 24,000 | 30,000 | 34,000 | 39,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVG | used from 0 nm out; 62 nm from the line | 260/20 | 280/18 15° | 270/19 8° | 290/30 5° | 280/31 -7° | 290/37 -19° | 280/46 -35° | 290/55 -40° | 310/57 -48° |
| CRW | used from 49 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 270/8 | 320/23 15° | 320/22 10° | 330/25 5° | 300/30 -6° | 290/34 -19° | 280/37 -35° | 290/48 -42° | 310/58 -50° |
| EKN | used from 194 nm out; 15 nm from the line | 320/20 15° | 340/24 10° | 340/25 4° | 310/28 -7° | 290/32 -19° | 290/36 -36° | 300/49 -43° | 310/48 -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 | no report just now | 979 ft | ||||
| IOB Mount Sterling, KY | 29 nm out, 5 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,019 ft | ||||
| SYM Morehead, KY | 49 nm out, 1 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,028 ft | ||||
| HTS Huntington, WV | 97 nm out, 2 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 828 ft | ||||
| CRW Charleston, WV | 146 nm out, 6 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 947 ft | ||||
| SXL Summersville, WV | 175 nm out, 20 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,819 ft | ||||
| EKN Elkins, WV | 233 nm out, 12 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 1,987 ft | ||||
| LUA Luray, VA | 292 nm out, 11 nm south of the line | no report just now | 902 ft | ||||
| FRR Front Royal, VA | 301 nm out, 3 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 703 ft | ||||
| IAD Washington, DC | destination | no report just now | 312 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 IAD when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:18 pm EDT (16:18 UTC)
IAD has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA 8 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · ZDC
- 6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 4 nm from the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · today · ZDC
Daylight
Sunset at LEX 7:05 pm EDT (23:05 UTC), at IAD 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
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, Washington Dulles International.