Orlando International to Southwest Florida International MCO → RSW
116 nautical miles (134 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 192°, about 198° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6W). At 120 knots that is 58 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 1-knot headwind), arriving about 2:18 am EDT (06:18 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now MCO is VFR, wind from the northwest (320°) at 4 knots; RSW is low IFR, 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: 1,324 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
- A321 at 35,000 ft, 7 nm north, 12:26 am EDT (04:26 UTC): light chop turbulence. At the departure end, 7 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
ORL UA /OV ORL/TM 0426/FL350/TP A321/TB OCNL LGT CHOP
- Report
- a routine report filed through ORL
- Where
- over ORL
- Time
- 04:26 UTC
- Height
- at 35,000 ft
- Aircraft
- A321
- Turbulence
- occasional light chop
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 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 2 forecast points nearest it (MLB, PIE). 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 | 260° at 3 kt | +1 kt | 119 kt | 58 min | 2:18 am EDT (06:18 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 240° at 5 kt | +4 kt | 17 °C | 116 kt | 1 h | 2:20 am EDT (06:20 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 260° at 8 kt | +3 kt | 14 °C | 117 kt | 59 min | 2:19 am EDT (06:19 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 260° at 9 kt | +4 kt | 11 °C | 116 kt | 1 h | 2:20 am EDT (06:20 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 260° at 11 kt | +5 kt | 7 °C | 115 kt | 1 h 01 min | 2:21 am EDT (06:21 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 250° at 14 kt | +7 kt | 3 °C | 113 kt | 1 h 02 min | 2:22 am EDT (06:22 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 250° at 17 kt | +9 kt | -2 °C | 111 kt | 1 h 03 min | 2:23 am EDT (06:23 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 19 kt | +11 kt | -6 °C | 109 kt | 1 h 04 min | 2:24 am EDT (06:24 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 250° at 23 kt | +14 kt | -17 °C | 106 kt | 1 h 06 min | 2:26 am EDT (06:26 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 230° at 25 kt | +20 kt | -31 °C | 100 kt | 1 h 10 min | 2:30 am EDT (06:30 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 210° at 31 kt | +30 kt | -41 °C | 90 kt | 1 h 17 min | 2:37 am EDT (06:37 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 210° at 32 kt | +30 kt | -52 °C | 90 kt | 1 h 17 min | 2:37 am EDT (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | used from 0 nm out; 40 nm from the line | 230/6 | 230/12 17° | 240/13 12° | 240/14 7° | 240/20 -5° | 240/24 -16° | 210/21 -32° | 190/33 -41° | 200/36 -52° |
| PIE | used from 48 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 350/6 | L/V 18° | 290/6 14° | 280/9 9° | 250/18 -6° | 250/23 -17° | 240/30 -31° | 220/31 -41° | 220/30 -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
| Airport | Where | Conditions | Wind | Visibility | Ceiling | Elevation | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCO Orlando, FL | departure | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 feet | from the northwest (320°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 96 ft | 12:53 am EDT (04:53 UTC) |
| BOW Bartow, FL | 29 nm out, 19 nm west of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 124 ft | 04:55 UTC |
| PGD Punta Gorda, FL | 97 nm out, 17 nm west of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 25 ft | 04:53 UTC |
| RSW Fort Myers, FL | destination | low IFR Sky: sky obscured at 200 feet Weather: mist | calm | 0.75 mi | 200 ft | 29 ft | 1:13 am EDT (05:13 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 124 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At RSW when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:18 am EDT (06:18 UTC)
Wind from the north-northeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for RSW
- From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the east-northeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 3,000 feet, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 1:00 am EDT (05:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for MCO, the departure
- From Sun 11:00 pm EDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 18,000 feet, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the north at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 15,000 feet
- From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the north at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 4/3634 DISNEY WORLD THEME PARK, ORLANDO, FL 11 nm from the route, at the departure end · security · ZJX
Daylight
Sunset at MCO 6:59 pm EDT (22:59 UTC), at RSW 7:02 pm EDT (23:02 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:25 pm EDT (23:25 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at RSW is before sunrise there (7:24 am EDT (11:24 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, Southwest Florida International.