Mbs International to Purdue University Airport MBS → LAF
227 nautical miles (261 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 215°, about 222° magnetic at the departure end (variation 7W). At 120 knots that is 2 h 01 min at the quickest height in today's winds (6,500 ft, a 7-knot headwind), arriving about 8:02 am EDT (12:02 UTC). Right now MBS is marginal VFR, wind from the southwest (220°) at 8 knots; LAF 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: 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 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist, fog). Over the first 207 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 MBS.
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 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 3 forecast points nearest it (MKG, FWA, IND). 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 | 270° at 20 kt | +11 kt | 109 kt | 2 h 05 min | 8:06 am EDT (12:06 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 280° at 16 kt | +7 kt | 14 °C | 113 kt | 2 h 01 min | 8:02 am EDT (12:02 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 270° at 15 kt | +8 kt | 10 °C | 112 kt | 2 h 02 min | 8:03 am EDT (12:03 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 270° at 17 kt | +10 kt | 6 °C | 110 kt | 2 h 04 min | 8:05 am EDT (12:05 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 270° at 20 kt | +11 kt | 3 °C | 109 kt | 2 h 05 min | 8:06 am EDT (12:06 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 280° at 23 kt | +10 kt | -1 °C | 110 kt | 2 h 04 min | 8:05 am EDT (12:05 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 280° at 26 kt | +10 kt | -5 °C | 110 kt | 2 h 04 min | 8:05 am EDT (12:05 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 290° at 28 kt | +9 kt | -8 °C | 111 kt | 2 h 03 min | 8:04 am EDT (12:04 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 33 kt | +16 kt | -20 °C | 104 kt | 2 h 11 min | 8:12 am EDT (12:12 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 270° at 39 kt | +20 kt | -35 °C | 100 kt | 2 h 16 min | 8:17 am EDT (12:17 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 45 kt | +16 kt | -44 °C | 104 kt | 2 h 11 min | 8:12 am EDT (12:12 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 300° at 62 kt | +9 kt | -51 °C | 111 kt | 2 h 03 min | 8:04 am EDT (12:04 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MKG | used from 0 nm out; 80 nm from the line | 260/28 | 260/18 15° | 250/16 9° | 260/22 4° | 280/31 -9° | 270/35 -21° | 270/44 -35° | 270/42 -45° | 290/61 -51° |
| FWA | used from 99 nm out; 56 nm from the line | 270/20 | 300/16 15° | 290/14 10° | 280/17 3° | 290/25 -7° | 280/30 -19° | 280/34 -35° | 290/48 -44° | 300/64 -52° |
| IND | used from 197 nm out; 58 nm from the line | 270/22 | 290/19 15° | 270/19 8° | 270/18 4° | 290/28 -7° | 280/35 -20° | 270/37 -34° | 300/51 -42° | 300/61 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MBS Saginaw, MI | departure | marginal VFR Weather: mist | from the southwest (220°) at 8 knots | 5 mi | none | 668 ft | 5:53 am EDT (09:53 UTC) |
| AMN Alma, MI | 30 nm out, 15 nm northwest of the line | VFR Weather: mist | from the southwest (220°) at 4 knots | 7 mi | none | 754 ft | 09:55 UTC |
| BTL Battle Creek, MI | 89 nm out, 1 nm southwest of the line, tower | VFR Weather: mist | from the southwest (220°) at 5 knots | 6 mi | none | 951 ft | 09:53 UTC |
| AZO Kalamazoo, MI | 99 nm out, 9 nm west of the line, tower | marginal VFR Weather: mist | from the south (180°) at 4 knots | 4 mi | none | 873 ft | 09:53 UTC |
| EKM Elkhart, IN | 138 nm out, 8 nm northwest of the line, tower | IFR Weather: mist | calm | 2.5 mi | none | 777 ft | 09:55 UTC |
| GUS Peru, IN | 197 nm out, 22 nm southeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southeast (160°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 810 ft | 09:55 UTC |
| LAF Lafayette, IN | destination | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 605 ft | 5:54 am EDT (09:54 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 951 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At LAF when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:02 am EDT (12:02 UTC)
Wind light and variable, visibility 6 miles, mist, shallow fog, a few clouds at 200 feet VFR
The whole forecast for LAF
- From Mon 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility 3 miles, mist, shallow fog, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- At times between Mon 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC) and 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC): visibility 1 mile, mist, shallow fog, overcast at 200 feet
- From Mon 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility 6 miles, mist, shallow fog, a few clouds at 200 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 20,000 feet
- From Mon 2:00 pm EDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 11 knots, gusting to 19, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 20,000 feet
The forecast for MBS, the departure
- From Mon 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- At times between Mon 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC) and 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC): visibility 5 miles, mist, a broken layer at 500 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 12:00 pm EDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 9,000 feet, a broken layer at 20,000 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 MBS 6:58 pm EDT (22:58 UTC), at LAF 7:12 pm EDT (23:12 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:40 pm EDT (23:40 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: Mbs International, Purdue University Airport.