Harrisburg International to Charleston Afb/Intl Airport MDT → CHS
466 nautical miles (536 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 201°, about 212° magnetic at the departure end (variation 11W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 21 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 19-knot tailwind), arriving about 8:01 am EDT (12:01 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: 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 168 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Near the route, at the departure end.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 10,000 ft. Over the route from 30 to 297 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 30,000 ft to 41,000 ft. Over the last 149 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 MDT.
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 5 forecast points nearest it (PSB, RIC, RDU, FLO, CHS). 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 | 340° at 24 kt | −19 kt | 12 °C | 139 kt | 3 h 21 min | 8:01 am EDT (12:01 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 340° at 23 kt | −18 kt | 11 °C | 138 kt | 3 h 23 min | 8:03 am EDT (12:03 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 340° at 27 kt | −19 kt | 9 °C | 139 kt | 3 h 21 min | 8:01 am EDT (12:01 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 330° at 28 kt | −18 kt | 6 °C | 138 kt | 3 h 23 min | 8:03 am EDT (12:03 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 320° at 29 kt | −17 kt | 2 °C | 137 kt | 3 h 24 min | 8:04 am EDT (12:04 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 320° at 31 kt | −17 kt | -2 °C | 137 kt | 3 h 24 min | 8:04 am EDT (12:04 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 320° at 33 kt | −17 kt | -5 °C | 137 kt | 3 h 24 min | 8:04 am EDT (12:04 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 320° at 34 kt | −18 kt | -8 °C | 138 kt | 3 h 23 min | 8:03 am EDT (12:03 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 310° at 33 kt | −14 kt | -20 °C | 134 kt | 3 h 29 min | 8:09 am EDT (12:09 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 300° at 34 kt | −8 kt | -33 °C | 128 kt | 3 h 38 min | 8:18 am EDT (12:18 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 310° at 35 kt | −10 kt | -40 °C | 130 kt | 3 h 35 min | 8:15 am EDT (12:15 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 37 kt | −11 kt | -48 °C | 131 kt | 3 h 33 min | 8:13 am EDT (12:13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSB | used from 0 nm out; 83 nm from the line | 020/21 12° | 360/28 7° | 360/29 1° | 350/33 -10° | 350/42 -22° | 350/49 -37° | 340/63 -43° | 350/39 -52° | |
| RIC | used from 50 nm out; 92 nm from the line | 350/34 | 340/27 12° | 340/36 8° | 330/31 3° | 310/32 -9° | 320/34 -21° | 300/37 -34° | 290/37 -39° | 290/42 -46° |
| RDU | used from 198 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 330/30 | 340/24 12° | 330/26 7° | 320/30 3° | 330/39 -8° | 310/30 -20° | 300/33 -33° | 310/34 -39° | 310/41 -47° |
| FLO | used from 347 nm out; 19 nm from the line | 330/17 | 330/17 12° | 320/21 9° | 310/29 4° | 310/36 -8° | 300/36 -19° | 290/34 -32° | 300/29 -40° | 310/34 -48° |
| CHS | used from 446 nm out; 10 nm from the line | 330/14 | 300/17 14° | 320/21 9° | 310/26 6° | 310/32 -6° | 280/34 -19° | 260/37 -32° | 280/30 -39° | 310/30 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDT Harrisburg, PA | departure | no report just now | 310 ft | ||||
| DMW Westminster, MD | 40 nm out, 3 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 789 ft | ||||
| IAD Washington, DC | 79 nm out, 4 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 312 ft | ||||
| HEF Washington, DC | 99 nm out, 4 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 192 ft | ||||
| OFP Richmond/Ashland, VA | 149 nm out, 23 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 206 ft | ||||
| BKT Blackstone, VA | 198 nm out, 14 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 437 ft | ||||
| RDU Raleigh/Durham, NC | 277 nm out, 1 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 435 ft | ||||
| TTA Sanford, NC | 297 nm out, 9 nm west of the line | no report just now | 246 ft | ||||
| FAY Fayetteville, NC | 327 nm out, 13 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 189 ft | ||||
| FLO Florence, SC | 386 nm out, 10 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 146 ft | ||||
| MKS Moncks Corner, SC | 446 nm out, 6 nm west of the line | no report just now | 74 ft | ||||
| CHS Charleston, SC | destination | no report just now | 46 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 789 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At CHS when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:01 am EDT (12:01 UTC)
CHS has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8800 Baltimore, MD, Saturday, October 17, 2026 through Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC 25 nm from the route, 50 nm along the route · drones kept away from a public gathering · starts Saturday 17 October · ZDC
- 6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local on the route, 69 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZDC
- 4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA 3 nm from the route, 79 nm along the route · security · ZDC
- 6/8713 Maxton, NC, Friday, October 16, 2026 through Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC 0 nm from the route, 347 nm along the route · air shows/sports · starts Friday 16 October · ZDC
Daylight
Sunset at MDT 6:32 pm EDT (22:32 UTC), at CHS 6:50 pm EDT (22:50 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:15 pm EDT (23:15 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: Harrisburg International, Charleston Afb/Intl Airport.