Kansas City International to Lake Charles Regional MCI → LCH
556 nautical miles (639 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 172°, about 170° magnetic at the departure end (variation 2E). At 120 knots that is 4 h at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 19-knot tailwind), arriving about 1:37 am CDT (06:37 UTC), after sunset at the destination. 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 30 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 MCI.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- B789 at 27,000 ft, 30 nm southeast, 7:30 pm CDT (00:30 UTC): moderate clear-air turbulence, remarks: zhu. At the destination end, 30 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
LFT UA /OV LLA270030/TM 0030/FL270/TP B789/TB MOD CAT/RM ZHU
- Report
- a routine report filed through LFT
- Where
- 30 nm west (270°) of LLA
- Time
- 00:30 UTC
- Height
- at 27,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B789
- Turbulence
- moderate clear-air turbulence
- Remarks
- zhu
- CRJ7 at 36,000 ft, 39 nm east, 7:10 pm CDT (00:10 UTC): no turbulence, remarks: ZME20. 298 nm along the route, 39 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
HOT UA /OV HOT/TM 0010/FL360/TP CRJ7/TB NEG/RM ZME20
- Report
- a routine report filed through HOT
- Where
- over HOT
- Time
- 00:10 UTC
- Height
- at 36,000 ft
- Aircraft
- CRJ7
- Turbulence
- none
- Remarks
- ZME20
- E75L at 27,000 ft, 6 nm east, 7:20 pm CDT (00:20 UTC): remarks: zhu. At the destination end, 6 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
LCH UA /OV LCH08510/TM 0020/FL270/TP E75L/TB CONS CHOP/RM ZHU
- Report
- a routine report filed through LCH
- Where
- LCH08510
- Time
- 00:20 UTC
- Height
- at 27,000 ft
- Aircraft
- E75L
- Turbulence
- continuous chop
- Remarks
- zhu
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 5 forecast points nearest it (MKC, SGF, FSM, SHV, LCH). 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 | 220° at 26 kt | +19 kt | 101 kt | 5 h 30 min | 3:07 am CDT (08:07 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 230° at 23 kt | +12 kt | 108 kt | 5 h 09 min | 2:46 am CDT (07:46 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 240° at 21 kt | +9 kt | 15 °C | 111 kt | 5 h 01 min | 2:38 am CDT (07:38 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 240° at 18 kt | +7 kt | 12 °C | 113 kt | 4 h 55 min | 2:32 am CDT (07:32 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 240° at 15 kt | +6 kt | 8 °C | 114 kt | 4 h 53 min | 2:30 am CDT (07:30 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 250° at 15 kt | +4 kt | 4 °C | 116 kt | 4 h 48 min | 2:25 am CDT (07:25 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 250° at 15 kt | +2 kt | 0 °C | 118 kt | 4 h 43 min | 2:20 am CDT (07:20 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 260° at 16 kt | +1 kt | -4 °C | 119 kt | 4 h 40 min | 2:17 am CDT (07:17 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 260° at 17 kt | 0 | -5 °C | 120 kt | 4 h 38 min | 2:15 am CDT (07:15 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 250° at 23 kt | +5 kt | -16 °C | 115 kt | 4 h 50 min | 2:27 am CDT (07:27 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 280° at 37 kt | −13 kt | -30 °C | 133 kt | 4 h 11 min | 1:48 am CDT (06:48 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 40 kt | −14 kt | -40 °C | 134 kt | 4 h 09 min | 1:46 am CDT (06:46 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 290° at 40 kt | −19 kt | -51 °C | 139 kt | 4 h | 1:37 am CDT (06:37 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MKC | used from 0 nm out; 14 nm from the line | 220/44 | 250/28 18° | 250/18 13° | 240/12 6° | 280/24 -6° | 240/34 -18° | 260/47 -30° | 260/51 -40° | 270/58 -50° |
| SGF | used from 99 nm out; 46 nm from the line | 230/33 | 230/28 15° | 250/20 13° | 240/18 7° | 250/20 -6° | 250/24 -17° | 280/42 -31° | 280/49 -40° | 290/46 -51° |
| FSM | used from 198 nm out; 22 nm from the line | 210/27 | 250/23 16° | 250/20 13° | 240/17 8° | 250/18 -6° | 260/31 -16° | 280/42 -30° | 280/44 -40° | 290/38 -51° |
| SHV | used from 347 nm out; 43 nm from the line | 200/18 | 230/24 18° | 230/24 12° | 240/14 8° | 260/12 -4° | 240/11 -15° | 300/31 -29° | 300/32 -40° | 300/36 -52° |
| LCH | used from 496 nm out; 35 nm from the line | 160/21 | 160/18 18° | 180/13 12° | 230/6 8° | 280/10 -4° | 260/13 -14° | 310/29 -30° | 320/32 -40° | 330/33 -53° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCI Kansas City, MO | departure | no report just now | 1,027 ft | ||||
| OJC Olathe, KS | 30 nm out, 6 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,096 ft | ||||
| LLU Lamar, MO | 109 nm out, 4 nm east of the line | no report just now | 1,009 ft | ||||
| JLN Joplin, MO | 129 nm out, 8 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 977 ft | ||||
| FYV Fayetteville, AR | 198 nm out, 2 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,252 ft | ||||
| FSM Fort Smith, AR | 238 nm out, 16 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 469 ft | ||||
| MEZ Mena, AR | 288 nm out, 15 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,079 ft | ||||
| TXK Texarkana, AR | 357 nm out, 14 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 389 ft | ||||
| DTN Shreveport, LA | 407 nm out, 8 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 179 ft | ||||
| IER Natchitoches, LA | 456 nm out, 19 nm east of the line | no report just now | 121 ft | ||||
| DRI De Ridder, LA | 516 nm out, 3 nm north of the line | no report just now | 201 ft | ||||
| LCH Lake Charles, LA | destination | no report just now | 14 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,252 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At LCH when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:37 am CDT (06:37 UTC)
LCH has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
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 MCI 6:44 pm CDT (23:44 UTC), at LCH 6:45 pm CDT (23:45 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:09 pm CDT (00:09 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at LCH is before sunrise there (7:12 am CDT (12:12 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: Kansas City International, Lake Charles Regional.