The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 1:45 am CDT (06:45 UTC)

Frederick W Smith Intl/Memphis Airport to Roanoke/Blacksburg Regional (Woodrum Field) MEM → ROA

503 nautical miles (579 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 071°, about 072° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 31 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 23-knot tailwind), arriving about 6:16 am EDT (10:16 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: 356 flights in the DOT's last twelve reported months, the route's page.

The return flight

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). Over the last 355 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the last 237 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 29,000 ft to 40,000 ft. Over the route from 405 to 405 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 10,000 ft. Over the last 79 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 MEM.

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 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 (MEM, BNA, TYS, TRI, ROA). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
3,500 ft300° at 17 kt−12 kt132 kt3 h 49 min6:34 am EDT (10:34 UTC)
5,500 ft320° at 18 kt−7 kt11 °C127 kt3 h 58 min6:43 am EDT (10:43 UTC)
7,500 ft330° at 21 kt−7 kt12 °C127 kt3 h 58 min6:43 am EDT (10:43 UTC)
9,500 ft330° at 24 kt−7 kt8 °C127 kt3 h 58 min6:43 am EDT (10:43 UTC)
11,500 ft330° at 25 kt−5 kt5 °C125 kt4 h 01 min6:46 am EDT (10:46 UTC)
13,500 ft330° at 26 kt−6 kt1 °C126 kt4 h6:45 am EDT (10:45 UTC)
15,500 ft330° at 27 kt−8 kt-2 °C128 kt3 h 56 min6:41 am EDT (10:41 UTC)
17,500 ft320° at 28 kt−9 kt-6 °C129 kt3 h 54 min6:39 am EDT (10:39 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180320° at 28 kt−10 kt-7 °C130 kt3 h 52 min6:37 am EDT (10:37 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240320° at 30 kt−11 kt-19 °C131 kt3 h 50 min6:35 am EDT (10:35 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300320° at 41 kt−16 kt-33 °C136 kt3 h 42 min6:27 am EDT (10:27 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340320° at 47 kt−23 kt-39 °C143 kt3 h 31 min6:16 am EDT (10:16 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390320° at 41 kt−15 kt-49 °C135 kt3 h 44 min6:29 am EDT (10:29 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
MEMused from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line230/19260/16 15°270/17 12°300/13 6°300/15 -5°300/26 -18°300/34 -32°300/41 -40°310/46 -52°
BNAused from 99 nm out; 51 nm from the line310/20340/20 17°330/24 10°340/22 5°330/26 -6°340/29 -18°330/52 -33°320/62 -41°340/45 -50°
TYSused from 247 nm out; 47 nm from the line320/20340/18 11°340/32 9°340/36 4°330/37 -7°330/38 -19°330/50 -34°330/53 -38°330/44 -48°
TRIused from 345 nm out; 24 nm from the line330/22 11°330/29 7°330/32 3°330/36 -8°320/34 -19°320/36 -34°320/43 -39°320/46 -47°
ROAused from 444 nm out; 35 nm from the line310/29330/31 13°340/28 7°330/25 3°310/32 -8°300/32 -22°290/32 -31°270/35 -38°270/32 -47°

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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
MEM Memphis, TN departure no report just now 340 ft
FYE Somerville, TN 30 nm out, 1 nm northeast of the line no report just now 435 ft
MKL Jackson, TN 59 nm out, 15 nm north of the line, tower no report just now 434 ft
GHM Centerville, TN 128 nm out, 8 nm north of the line no report just now 765 ft
MQY Smyrna, TN 178 nm out, 4 nm north of the line, tower no report just now 543 ft
SRB Sparta, TN 227 nm out, 7 nm south of the line no report just now 1,025 ft
SCX Oneida, TN 276 nm out, 4 nm north of the line no report just now 1,544 ft
TRI Bristol/Johnson/Kingsport, TN 375 nm out, 22 nm south of the line, tower no report just now 1,518 ft
JFZ Richlands, VA 415 nm out, 5 nm north of the line no report just now 2,653 ft
BCB Blacksburg, VA 484 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line no report just now 2,119 ft
ROA Roanoke, VA destination no report just now 1,175 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 2,653 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At ROA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:16 am EDT (10:16 UTC)

ROA 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 MEM 6:29 pm CDT (23:29 UTC), at ROA 6:47 pm EDT (22:47 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:13 pm EDT (23:13 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at ROA 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

Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley
Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the Southeast
Radar now, the Southeast · loop National Weather Service
Radar, the whole country
Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service
Surface analysis now
Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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: Frederick W Smith Intl/Memphis Airport, Roanoke/Blacksburg Regional (Woodrum Field).