Plan a flight · Sun 9:36 pm CDT (02:36 UTC)

Lincoln Airport to Cincinnati Muni/Lunken Field LNK → LUK

577 nautical miles (664 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 096°, about 093° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3E). At 120 knots that is 3 h 18 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 55-knot tailwind), arriving about 1:54 am EDT (05:54 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now LNK is VFR, wind from the south (170°) at 9 knots; LUK is marginal VFR, wind from the north (350°) at 5 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 TANGO 3W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). Over the first 149 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 LNK.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

B38M at 23,700 ft, 38 nm south, 6:51 pm CDT (23:51 UTC): light turbulence. 448 nm along the route, 38 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
IND UA /OV TTH190030/TM 2351/FL237/TP B38M/TB LGT
```
Report
a routine report filed through IND
Where
30 nm south (190°) of TTH
Time
23:51 UTC
Height
at 23,700 ft
Aircraft
B38M
Turbulence
light
A21N at 17,000 ft, 28 nm south, 8:28 pm CDT (01:28 UTC): no icing, clear from 17,000 ft to 60,000 ft, remarks: clear since departing KIND southbound. 497 nm along the route, 28 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
IND UA /OV IND183045/TM 0128/FL170/TP A21N/SK SKC/IC NEG/RM CLR SINCE DEPARTING KIND SOUTHBOUND
```
Report
a routine report filed through IND
Where
45 nm south (183°) of IND
Time
01:28 UTC
Height
at 17,000 ft
Aircraft
A21N
Sky
clear
Icing
none
Remarks
clear since departing KIND southbound
B744 climbing, 5 nm northwest, 7:02 pm CDT (00:02 UTC): light turbulence, overcast. At the destination end, 5 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
CVG UA /OV 10 N CVG/TM 0002/FLDURC/TP B744/SK B022 OVC T036/TB LT TB SFC-036
```
Report
a routine report filed through CVG
Where
10 north cvg
Time
00:02 UTC
Height
during the climb
Aircraft
B744
Sky
B022 overcast T036
Turbulence
lt turbulence from the surface to 3,600 ft
B737 at 23,000 ft, 9 nm southwest, 6:51 pm CDT (23:51 UTC): light turbulence. At the destination end, 9 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
IND UA /OV CVG/TM 2351/FL230/TP B737/TB LGT
```
Report
a routine report filed through IND
Where
over CVG
Time
23:51 UTC
Height
at 23,000 ft
Aircraft
B737
Turbulence
light
CRJ9 descending, 49 nm north, 8:15 pm CDT (01:15 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. At the destination end, 49 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DAY UA /OV DAY/TM 0115/FLDURD/TP CRJ9/SK T031 B005
```
Report
a routine report filed through DAY
Where
over DAY
Time
01:15 UTC
Height
during the descent
Aircraft
CRJ9
Sky
T031 B005
E145 climbing, 49 nm north, 6:51 pm CDT (23:51 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. At the destination end, 49 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
CMH UA /OV DAY/TM 2351/FLDURC/TP E145/SK B005 T035
```
Report
a routine report filed through CMH
Where
over DAY
Time
23:51 UTC
Height
during the climb
Aircraft
E145
Sky
B005 T035

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 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 6 forecast points nearest it (OMA, DSM, BRL, SPI, IND, CVG). 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	240° at 24 kt	−19 kt		139 kt	4 h 09 min	2:45 am EDT (06:45 UTC)
5,500 ft	260° at 23 kt	−21 kt		141 kt	4 h 06 min	2:42 am EDT (06:42 UTC)
7,500 ft	270° at 20 kt	−20 kt	13 °C	140 kt	4 h 07 min	2:43 am EDT (06:43 UTC)
9,500 ft	280° at 16 kt	−17 kt	9 °C	137 kt	4 h 13 min	2:49 am EDT (06:49 UTC)
11,500 ft	280° at 13 kt	−13 kt	5 °C	133 kt	4 h 20 min	2:56 am EDT (06:56 UTC)
13,500 ft	280° at 15 kt	−15 kt	1 °C	135 kt	4 h 16 min	2:52 am EDT (06:52 UTC)
15,500 ft	280° at 19 kt	−19 kt	-2 °C	139 kt	4 h 09 min	2:45 am EDT (06:45 UTC)
17,500 ft	280° at 23 kt	−23 kt	-6 °C	143 kt	4 h 02 min	2:38 am EDT (06:38 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	280° at 24 kt	−24 kt	-7 °C	144 kt	4 h	2:36 am EDT (06:36 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	280° at 29 kt	−29 kt	-19 °C	149 kt	3 h 52 min	2:28 am EDT (06:28 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	280° at 34 kt	−35 kt	-33 °C	155 kt	3 h 43 min	2:19 am EDT (06:19 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	290° at 50 kt	−51 kt	-42 °C	171 kt	3 h 22 min	1:58 am EDT (05:58 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	290° at 55 kt	−55 kt	-51 °C	175 kt	3 h 18 min	1:54 am EDT (05:54 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
OMA	used from 0 nm out; 33 nm from the line	220/47	240/33 19°	250/18 11°	230/17 6°	260/29 -8°	250/33 -19°	250/51 -33°	260/61 -40°	270/62 -49°
DSM	used from 99 nm out; 60 nm from the line	230/40	250/33 17°	250/18 12°	240/17 5°	260/28 -8°	270/34 -19°	260/41 -33°	260/55 -41°	270/62 -51°
BRL	used from 199 nm out; 45 nm from the line	230/24	240/29 15°	290/16 10°	280/15 4°	260/23 -7°	260/32 -19°	260/36 -33°	280/48 -41°	280/59 -52°
SPI	used from 298 nm out; 12 nm from the line	220/21	250/23 16°	260/27 9°	270/14 6°	270/23 -7°	270/31 -19°	270/28 -33°	290/48 -42°	300/55 -52°
IND	used from 398 nm out; 63 nm from the line	290/16	310/20 16°	320/21 10°	330/13 3°	300/25 -7°	320/32 -19°	330/46 -34°	320/61 -43°	320/63 -50°
CVG	used from 547 nm out; 7 nm from the line	320/18	350/32 16°	350/35 10°	350/30 3°	330/30 -7°	340/44 -20°	340/58 -35°	330/72 -41°	320/36 -49°

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
LNK Lincoln, NE	departure	VFR	from the south (170°) at 9 knots	10+ mi	none	1,218 ft	8:54 pm CDT (01:54 UTC)
AFK Nebraska City, NE	40 nm out, 10 nm south of the line	VFR	from the south (180°) at 10 knots	10+ mi	none	1,165 ft	02:15 UTC
ICL Clarinda, IA	80 nm out, 2 nm north of the line	VFR	from the south (180°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	995 ft	02:15 UTC
LWD Lamoni, IA	129 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line	VFR	from the south (180°) at 9 knots	10+ mi	none	1,130 ft	01:53 UTC
TVK Centerville, IA	179 nm out, 14 nm north of the line	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	1,023 ft	02:15 UTC
EOK Keokuk, IA	239 nm out, 12 nm northeast of the line	reported, no category	from the southeast (140°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	671 ft	02:15 UTC
SPI Springfield, IL	328 nm out, 10 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (180°) at 7 knots	10+ mi	none	597 ft	01:52 UTC
DEC Decatur, IL	368 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (190°) at 4 knots	9 mi	none	681 ft	01:54 UTC
HUF Terre Haute, IN	438 nm out, 12 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	589 ft	01:53 UTC
BAK Columbus, IN	507 nm out, 7 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	656 ft	01:45 UTC
HLB Batesville, IN	537 nm out, 5 nm north of the line	low IFR Sky: a broken layer at 2,600 feet, a broken layer at 3,100 feet Weather: mist	calm	0.5 mi	2,600 ft	975 ft	02:15 UTC
LUK Cincinnati, OH	destination	marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,900 feet	from the north (350°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	1,900 ft	481 ft	9:53 pm EDT (01:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,218 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At LUK when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:54 am EDT (05:54 UTC)

Wind calm, visibility 3 miles, mist, a few clouds at 2,500 feet marginal VFR

The whole forecast for LUK

From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 1,200 feet, overcast at 2,500 feet
From Sun 10:00 pm EDT (02:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility 3 miles, mist, a few clouds at 2,500 feet
From Mon 5:00 am EDT (09:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility 1 mile, mist, clear skies
At times between Mon 5:00 am EDT (09:00 UTC) and 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): visibility ½ mile, fog, sky obscured at 200 feet
From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 1:00 pm EDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet

The forecast for LNK, the departure

From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
From Sun 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the south at 14 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies

Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it

6/8029 Cincinnati, OH, Friday, October 9, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 1 nm from the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · until 12 October · ZID

Daylight

Sunset at LNK 6:51 pm CDT (23:51 UTC), at LUK 7:03 pm EDT (23:03 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:30 pm EDT (23:30 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at LUK is before sunrise there (7:44 am EDT (11:44 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 northern Rockies · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the central Great Lakes · 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: Lincoln Airport, Cincinnati Muni/Lunken Field.