The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Sun 9:10 pm CDT (02:10 UTC)

Midland International Air And Space Port to Waco Regional MAF → ACT

255 nautical miles (293 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 093°, about 084° magnetic at the departure end (variation 9E). At 120 knots that is 1 h 37 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 38-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:47 pm CDT (03:47 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now MAF is VFR, wind from the south-southeast (160°) at 16 knots; ACT is VFR, wind from the south-southeast (150°) at 11 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: 2 flights in the DOT's last twelve reported months, the route's page.

The return flight

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 MAF.

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 20:00–03:00 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 (INK, ABI, DAL). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
5,500 ft180° at 25 kt+3 kt18 °C117 kt2 h 11 min11:21 pm CDT (04:21 UTC)
7,500 ft190° at 20 kt−4 kt14 °C124 kt2 h 03 min11:13 pm CDT (04:13 UTC)
9,500 ft220° at 19 kt−11 kt11 °C131 kt1 h 57 min11:07 pm CDT (04:07 UTC)
11,500 ft230° at 22 kt−15 kt9 °C135 kt1 h 53 min11:03 pm CDT (04:03 UTC)
13,500 ft230° at 24 kt−17 kt5 °C137 kt1 h 52 min11:02 pm CDT (04:02 UTC)
15,500 ft230° at 24 kt−18 kt0 °C138 kt1 h 51 min11:01 pm CDT (04:01 UTC)
17,500 ft230° at 25 kt−20 kt-4 °C140 kt1 h 49 min10:59 pm CDT (03:59 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180240° at 25 kt−20 kt-5 °C140 kt1 h 49 min10:59 pm CDT (03:59 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240240° at 27 kt−23 kt-14 °C143 kt1 h 47 min10:57 pm CDT (03:57 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300250° at 35 kt−32 kt-28 °C152 kt1 h 41 min10:51 pm CDT (03:51 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340270° at 38 kt−38 kt-39 °C158 kt1 h 37 min10:47 pm CDT (03:47 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390280° at 38 kt−38 kt-51 °C158 kt1 h 37 min10:47 pm CDT (03:47 UTC)

Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
INKused from 0 nm out; 76 nm from the line160/27 20°190/18 13°240/19 7°250/23 -4°250/33 -15°230/45 -28°250/45 -39°270/49 -50°
ABIused from 49 nm out; 64 nm from the line180/26 17°220/18 12°230/25 8°230/28 -5°240/29 -14°250/35 -28°270/37 -39°280/37 -51°
DALused from 196 nm out; 89 nm from the line180/21190/24 15°230/20 12°220/23 8°240/22 -5°230/18 -15°280/33 -29°280/36 -39°300/33 -52°

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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
MAF Midland, TX departure VFR from the south-southeast (160°) at 16 knots 10+ mi none 2,872 ft 8:53 pm CDT (01:53 UTC)
BPG Big Spring, TX 29 nm out, 19 nm north of the line VFR from the south (170°) at 9 knots 10+ mi none 2,572 ft 01:55 UTC
BWD Brownwood, TX 166 nm out, 3 nm north of the line VFR from the south-southeast (160°) at 12 knots, gusting to 18 10+ mi none 1,386 ft 22:15 UTC
MNZ Hamilton, TX 206 nm out, 2 nm southeast of the line VFR from the south (170°) at 8 knots 10+ mi none 1,304 ft 01:55 UTC
GOP Gatesville, TX 225 nm out, 14 nm south of the line VFR calm 10+ mi none 905 ft 02:15 UTC
ACT Waco, TX destination VFR from the south-southeast (150°) at 11 knots 10+ mi none 516 ft 8:51 pm CDT (01:51 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 2,872 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At ACT when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:47 pm CDT (03:47 UTC)

Wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR

The whole forecast for ACT
  • From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
  • From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 2,700 feet, scattered clouds at 3,500 feet
  • At times between Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC) and 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): a broken layer at 2,700 feet
  • From Mon 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the south at 10 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 17,000 feet
The forecast for MAF, the departure
  • From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 19 knots, gusting to 27, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
  • From Sun 10:00 pm CDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the south at 15 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 13 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · ZFW

Daylight

Sunset at MAF 7:20 pm CDT (00:20 UTC), at ACT 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:24 pm CDT (00:24 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at ACT is after sunset there (7:01 pm CDT (00:01 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 southern Plains
Radar now, the southern Plains · loop National Weather Service
Radar, the whole country
Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service
Surface analysis now
Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead
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: Midland International Air And Space Port, Waco Regional.