Lafayette Rgnl/Paul Fournet Field to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International LFT → BHM
334 nautical miles (385 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 052°, about 049° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3E). At 120 knots that is 2 h 38 min at the quickest height in today's winds (5,500 ft, a 7-knot tailwind), arriving about 8:48 am CDT (13:48 UTC). Right now LFT is VFR, wind calm; BHM is VFR, wind calm. 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: 4 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
No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.
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 LFT.
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 08:00–15:00 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 (MSY, JAN, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,500 ft | 260° at 7 kt | −6 kt | 126 kt | 2 h 39 min | 8:49 am CDT (13:49 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 270° at 8 kt | −7 kt | 127 kt | 2 h 38 min | 8:48 am CDT (13:48 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 290° at 8 kt | −5 kt | 15 °C | 125 kt | 2 h 40 min | 8:50 am CDT (13:50 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 300° at 8 kt | −3 kt | 11 °C | 123 kt | 2 h 43 min | 8:53 am CDT (13:53 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 310° at 7 kt | −1 kt | 7 °C | 121 kt | 2 h 46 min | 8:56 am CDT (13:56 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 310° at 9 kt | −2 kt | 3 °C | 122 kt | 2 h 44 min | 8:54 am CDT (13:54 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 310° at 12 kt | −2 kt | 0 °C | 122 kt | 2 h 44 min | 8:54 am CDT (13:54 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 310° at 15 kt | −3 kt | -4 °C | 123 kt | 2 h 43 min | 8:53 am CDT (13:53 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 310° at 16 kt | −3 kt | -5 °C | 123 kt | 2 h 43 min | 8:53 am CDT (13:53 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 310° at 15 kt | −4 kt | -17 °C | 124 kt | 2 h 42 min | 8:52 am CDT (13:52 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 320° at 34 kt | −2 kt | -31 °C | 122 kt | 2 h 44 min | 8:54 am CDT (13:54 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 330° at 39 kt | +7 kt | -40 °C | 113 kt | 2 h 57 min | 9:07 am CDT (14:07 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 340° at 36 kt | +10 kt | -51 °C | 110 kt | 3 h 02 min | 9:12 am CDT (14:12 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 06:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 12:00 UTC for use 08:00 to 15:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSY | used from 0 nm out; 76 nm from the line | 150/9 | 140/8 18° | L/V 13° | L/V 6° | 320/15 -5° | 310/16 -16° | 320/32 -31° | 340/35 -40° | 350/34 -52° |
| JAN | used from 98 nm out; 51 nm from the line | 240/10 | 260/15 18° | 280/10 11° | 290/6 6° | 290/15 -5° | 300/15 -17° | 320/35 -30° | 330/38 -40° | 330/39 -51° |
| BHM | used from 246 nm out; 64 nm from the line | 310/19 | 310/15 16° | 320/19 11° | 330/15 5° | 330/23 -5° | 320/14 -18° | 320/36 -32° | 330/44 -40° | 340/36 -51° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LFT Lafayette, LA | departure | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 40 ft | 5:53 am CDT (10:53 UTC) |
| HZR New Roads, LA | 39 nm out, 8 nm northwest of the line | IFR Weather: mist | calm | 1.5 mi | none | 39 ft | 07:35 UTC |
| BTR Baton Rouge, LA | 49 nm out, 12 nm southeast of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 69 ft | 10:53 UTC |
| MCB Mc Comb, MS | 98 nm out, 2 nm south of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 413 ft | 10:53 UTC |
| LUL Laurel, MS | 167 nm out, 19 nm southeast of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 238 ft | 10:55 UTC |
| MEI Meridian, MS | 207 nm out, 3 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 297 ft | 10:58 UTC |
| DYA Demopolis, AL | 246 nm out, 18 nm southeast of the line | low IFR Sky: a broken layer at 100 feet Weather: fog | calm | 0.5 mi | 100 ft | 111 ft | 10:55 UTC |
| TCL Tuscaloosa, AL | 285 nm out, 9 nm north of the line, tower | VFR Weather: mist | calm | 6 mi | none | 169 ft | 10:53 UTC |
| EKY Bessemer, AL | 315 nm out, 8 nm southeast of the line | 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 | 03:56 UTC |
| BHM Birmingham, AL | destination | VFR | calm | 9 mi | none | 650 ft | 5:53 am CDT (10:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 699 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At BHM when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:48 am CDT (13:48 UTC)
Wind calm, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for BHM
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- At times between Mon 4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC) and 8:00 am CDT (13:00 UTC): visibility 4 miles, mist
- From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for LFT, the departure
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 8:00 pm CDT (01:00 UTC): wind from the south at 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
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 LFT 6:40 pm CDT (23:40 UTC), at BHM 6:17 pm CDT (23:17 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:42 pm CDT (23:42 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: Lafayette Rgnl/Paul Fournet Field, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International.