Orlando International to Northwest Alabama Regional MCO → MSL
497 nautical miles (572 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 321°, about 327° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6W). At 120 knots that is 4 h 47 min at the quickest height in today's winds (12,500 ft, a 16-knot headwind), arriving about 1:56 pm CDT (18:56 UTC). 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 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 MCO.
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 6 forecast points nearest it (MLB, JAX, TLH, CSG, BHM, HSV). 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 | 320° at 20 kt | +20 kt | 100 kt | 4 h 58 min | 2:07 pm CDT (19:07 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 330° at 19 kt | +19 kt | 16 °C | 101 kt | 4 h 55 min | 2:04 pm CDT (19:04 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 330° at 19 kt | +19 kt | 12 °C | 101 kt | 4 h 55 min | 2:04 pm CDT (19:04 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 320° at 17 kt | +17 kt | 9 °C | 103 kt | 4 h 50 min | 1:59 pm CDT (18:59 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 310° at 16 kt | +16 kt | 5 °C | 104 kt | 4 h 47 min | 1:56 pm CDT (18:56 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 310° at 18 kt | +18 kt | 1 °C | 102 kt | 4 h 52 min | 2:01 pm CDT (19:01 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 320° at 20 kt | +20 kt | -3 °C | 100 kt | 4 h 58 min | 2:07 pm CDT (19:07 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 320° at 22 kt | +21 kt | -6 °C | 99 kt | 5 h 01 min | 2:10 pm CDT (19:10 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 320° at 22 kt | +22 kt | -18 °C | 98 kt | 5 h 04 min | 2:13 pm CDT (19:13 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 320° at 30 kt | +30 kt | -32 °C | 90 kt | 5 h 31 min | 2:40 pm CDT (19:40 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 330° at 33 kt | +33 kt | -41 °C | 87 kt | 5 h 43 min | 2:52 pm CDT (19:52 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 330° at 26 kt | +26 kt | -51 °C | 94 kt | 5 h 17 min | 2:26 pm CDT (19:26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | used from 0 nm out; 64 nm from the line | 290/10 | 260/15 18° | 290/12 13° | 280/13 8° | 250/20 -7° | 260/18 -18° | 240/17 -32° | 250/20 -41° | 250/22 -52° |
| JAX | used from 50 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 310/22 | 310/19 16° | 300/22 14° | 290/25 8° | 300/25 -7° | 300/24 -18° | 270/20 -33° | 260/25 -41° | 290/17 -51° |
| TLH | used from 149 nm out; 51 nm from the line | 340/23 | 350/26 17° | 350/21 11° | 300/13 6° | 320/25 -6° | 340/35 -16° | 350/44 -32° | 360/51 -42° | 350/33 -52° |
| CSG | used from 249 nm out; 37 nm from the line | 330/27 | 340/28 16° | 350/28 11° | 330/17 6° | 340/25 -6° | 350/33 -18° | 330/46 -32° | 340/45 -41° | 350/31 -52° |
| BHM | used from 348 nm out; 46 nm from the line | 310/19 | 310/15 16° | 320/19 11° | 330/15 5° | 330/23 -5° | 320/14 -18° | 320/36 -32° | 330/44 -40° | 340/36 -51° |
| HSV | used from 448 nm out; 27 nm from the line | 300/20 | 310/14 16° | 310/18 10° | 310/15 4° | 320/19 -5° | 290/16 -18° | 320/36 -32° | 320/47 -41° | 330/42 -50° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCO Orlando, FL | departure | no report just now | 96 ft | ||||
| LEE Leesburg, FL | 40 nm out, 7 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 76 ft | ||||
| GNV Gainesville, FL | 90 nm out, 8 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 151 ft | ||||
| LCQ Lake City, FL | 119 nm out, 15 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 200 ft | ||||
| VLD Valdosta, GA | 179 nm out, 11 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 203 ft | ||||
| ABY Albany, GA | 239 nm out, 3 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 196 ft | ||||
| EUF Eufaula, AL | 288 nm out, 17 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 285 ft | ||||
| AUO Auburn, AL | 328 nm out, 3 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 776 ft | ||||
| ALX Alexander City, AL | 358 nm out, 12 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 685 ft | ||||
| BHM Birmingham, AL | 418 nm out, 16 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 650 ft | ||||
| CMD Cullman, AL | 448 nm out, 9 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 969 ft | ||||
| MSL Muscle Shoals, AL | destination | no report just now | 550 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 969 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MSL when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:56 pm CDT (18:56 UTC)
MSL has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 4/3634 DISNEY WORLD THEME PARK, ORLANDO, FL 9 nm from the route, at the departure end · security · ZJX
Daylight
Sunset at MCO 6:59 pm EDT (22:59 UTC), at MSL 6:19 pm CDT (23:19 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:45 pm CDT (23:45 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: Orlando International, Northwest Alabama Regional.