Plan a flight · Mon 5:44 am CDT (10:44 UTC)

Lafayette Rgnl/Paul Fournet Field to Tucson International LFT → TUS

979 nautical miles (1,127 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 282°, about 279° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3E). At 120 knots that is 8 h 18 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 2-knot headwind), arriving about 12:02 pm MST (19:02 UTC). Right now LFT is VFR, wind calm; TUS is VFR, wind from the south-southeast (160°) at 3 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 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: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Near the route, at the destination end.

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

SF30 at 21,000 ft, 47 nm south, 4:35 am CDT (09:35 UTC): light rime icing, -10 °C, remarks: zhu. 170 nm along the route, 47 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
IAH UA /OV DAS02002/TM 0935/FL210/TP SF30/TA M10/IC LGT RIME/RM ZHU
```
Report
a routine report filed through IAH
Where
DAS02002
Time
09:35 UTC
Height
at 21,000 ft
Aircraft
SF30
Temperature
−10 °C
Icing
light rime
Remarks
zhu

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 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 7 forecast points nearest it (LCH, CLL, SAT, ABI, INK, ELP, TUS). 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	190° at 15 kt	+2 kt	18 °C	118 kt	8 h 18 min	12:02 pm MST (19:02 UTC)
6,500 ft	190° at 15 kt	+2 kt	17 °C	118 kt	8 h 18 min	12:02 pm MST (19:02 UTC)
8,500 ft	200° at 15 kt	+3 kt	14 °C	117 kt	8 h 22 min	12:06 pm MST (19:06 UTC)
10,500 ft	210° at 16 kt	+6 kt	10 °C	114 kt	8 h 35 min	12:19 pm MST (19:19 UTC)
12,500 ft	210° at 18 kt	+8 kt	6 °C	112 kt	8 h 44 min	12:28 pm MST (19:28 UTC)
14,500 ft	220° at 21 kt	+13 kt	2 °C	107 kt	9 h 09 min	12:53 pm MST (19:53 UTC)
16,500 ft	230° at 24 kt	+17 kt	-3 °C	103 kt	9 h 30 min	1:14 pm MST (20:14 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	230° at 27 kt	+20 kt	-6 °C	100 kt	9 h 47 min	1:31 pm MST (20:31 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	240° at 35 kt	+28 kt	-15 °C	92 kt	10 h 38 min	2:22 pm MST (21:22 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	240° at 37 kt	+31 kt	-28 °C	89 kt	11 h	2:44 pm MST (21:44 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	250° at 35 kt	+32 kt	-38 °C	88 kt	11 h 08 min	2:52 pm MST (21:52 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	260° at 29 kt	+29 kt	-50 °C	91 kt	10 h 45 min	2:29 pm MST (21:29 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
LCH	used from 0 nm out; 41 nm from the line	170/21	160/23 18°	170/13 13°	170/6 8°	300/12 -7°	280/16 -14°	320/27 -30°	330/23 -41°	340/38 -51°
CLL	used from 150 nm out; 55 nm from the line	180/24	170/21 19°	180/10 14°	230/7 8°	230/16 -6°	260/20 -13°	290/23 -29°	320/21 -39°	340/35 -51°
SAT	used from 300 nm out; 98 nm from the line	160/18	180/22 17°	190/16 14°	210/16 9°	220/16 -5°	200/11 -14°	250/8 -29°	330/8 -40°	020/26 -51°
ABI	used from 350 nm out; 74 nm from the line		200/30 19°	220/12 16°	220/11 9°	230/15 -5°	250/26 -15°	250/39 -28°	270/36 -38°	280/30 -51°
INK	used from 500 nm out; 60 nm from the line		220/17 21°	230/12 14°	210/13 7°	220/29 -5°	240/41 -14°	230/43 -28°	250/41 -38°	250/33 -51°
ELP	used from 650 nm out; 72 nm from the line		300/8	210/14 12°	210/28 6°	230/47 -6°	230/56 -14°	220/58 -27°	230/60 -38°	230/56 -50°
TUS	used from 849 nm out; 105 nm from the line		200/12 13°	200/34 7°	210/41 4°	230/53 -7°	220/69 -19°	220/84 -27°	220/88 -36°	220/83 -48°

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	5:35 am CDT (10:35 UTC)
CWF Lake Charles, LA	60 nm out, 11 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	from the east (080°) at 3 knots	7 mi	none	16 ft	10:35 UTC
CXO Houston, TX	180 nm out, 25 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	244 ft	09:53 UTC
CLL College Station, TX	230 nm out, 19 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	from the east-southeast (120°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	320 ft	09:53 UTC
GRK Fort Hood (Killeen), TX	310 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line, tower	VFR Sky: a broken layer at 15,000 feet	from the southeast (140°) at 9 knots	9 mi	15,000 ft	1,015 ft	09:55 UTC
SJT San Angelo, TX	440 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line, tower	VFR	from the south-southeast (150°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	1,918 ft	09:51 UTC
MAF Midland, TX	540 nm out, 21 nm north of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (180°) at 13 knots	10+ mi	none	2,872 ft	09:53 UTC
PEQ Pecos, TX	600 nm out, 20 nm south of the line	VFR	from the east (100°) at 8 knots	10+ mi	none	2,613 ft	10:35 UTC
ELP El Paso, TX	749 nm out, 7 nm southeast of the line, tower	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 8,000 feet, a few clouds at 11,000 feet	calm	10+ mi	none	3,961 ft	09:51 UTC
DMN Deming, NM	819 nm out, 16 nm north of the line	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 feet	calm	10+ mi	none	4,314 ft	09:53 UTC
TUS Tucson, AZ	destination	VFR Sky: a broken layer at 7,000 feet, a broken layer at 8,000 feet	from the south-southeast (160°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	7,000 ft	2,643 ft	2:53 am MST (09:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 4,314 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At TUS when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:02 pm MST (19:02 UTC)

Wind from the south-southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 22, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 6,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for TUS

From Sun 11:00 pm MST (06:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 8,000 feet
From Mon 1:00 am MST (08:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 5,000 feet
From Mon 10:00 am MST (17:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 22, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 6,000 feet
From Mon 8:00 pm MST (03:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 6,000 feet

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

6/0543 MCGREGOR, TX 20 nm from the route, 290 nm along the route · security · ZFW
6/4240 SAN ANGELO, TX, Sunday, March 8, 2026 through Sunday, November 1, 2026 Local 3 nm from the route, 440 nm along the route · security · until 1 November · ZFW

Daylight

Sunset at LFT 6:40 pm CDT (23:40 UTC), at TUS 5:53 pm MST (00:53 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:18 pm MST (01:18 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 · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the southern Plains · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the southern Rockies · loop National Weather Service

Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service

Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center

Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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: Lafayette Rgnl/Paul Fournet Field, Tucson International.