Frederick W Smith Intl/Memphis Airport to Sheppard Afb/Wichita Falls Municipal MEM → SPS
426 nautical miles (490 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 264°, about 265° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 52 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 10-knot headwind), arriving about 11:57 pm CDT (04:57 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now MEM is VFR, wind from the south (170°) at 4 knots; SPS is VFR, wind from the south (170°) at 13 knots. 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
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 MEM.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- A319 at 39,000 ft, 2 nm south, 6:11 pm CDT (23:11 UTC): no chop turbulence, remarks: smooth. At the departure end, 2 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
MEM UA /OV MEM/TM 2311/FL390/TP A319/TB NEG CHOP/RM SMOOTH
- Report
- a routine report filed through MEM
- Where
- over MEM
- Time
- 23:11 UTC
- Height
- at 39,000 ft
- Aircraft
- A319
- Turbulence
- no chop
- Remarks
- smooth
- G280 at 41,000 ft, 41 nm south, 5:12 pm CDT (22:12 UTC): light turbulence, remarks: ZME44. 99 nm along the route, 41 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
PBF UA /OV PBF180005/TM 2212/FL410/TP G280/TB CONS LGT/RM ZME44
- Report
- a routine report filed through PBF
- Where
- 5 nm south (180°) of PBF
- Time
- 22:12 UTC
- Height
- at 41,000 ft
- Aircraft
- G280
- Turbulence
- continuous light
- Remarks
- ZME44
- C750 at 43,000 ft, 16 nm north, 7:50 pm CDT (00:50 UTC): light to moderate chop turbulence above 43,000 ft, remarks: zme. 109 nm along the route, 16 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
LIT UA /OV LIT360025/TM 0050/FL430/TP C750/TB CONS LGT-MOD CHOP 430/RM ZME
- Report
- a routine report filed through LIT
- Where
- 25 nm north (360°) of LIT
- Time
- 00:50 UTC
- Height
- at 43,000 ft
- Aircraft
- C750
- Turbulence
- continuous light to moderate chop at 43,000 ft
- Remarks
- zme
- CRJ7 at 36,000 ft, 15 nm south, 7:10 pm CDT (00:10 UTC): no turbulence, remarks: ZME20. 158 nm along the route, 15 nm south 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
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 20:00–03:00 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 (MEM, LIT, FSM, OKC, SPS). 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 | 210° at 17 kt | +10 kt | 110 kt | 3 h 52 min | 11:57 pm CDT (04:57 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 220° at 17 kt | +13 kt | 16 °C | 107 kt | 3 h 59 min | 12:04 am CDT (05:04 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 230° at 19 kt | +17 kt | 13 °C | 103 kt | 4 h 08 min | 12:13 am CDT (05:13 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 240° at 19 kt | +18 kt | 10 °C | 102 kt | 4 h 11 min | 12:16 am CDT (05:16 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 250° at 19 kt | +19 kt | 6 °C | 101 kt | 4 h 13 min | 12:18 am CDT (05:18 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 260° at 18 kt | +18 kt | 2 °C | 102 kt | 4 h 11 min | 12:16 am CDT (05:16 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 260° at 18 kt | +18 kt | -2 °C | 102 kt | 4 h 11 min | 12:16 am CDT (05:16 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 18 kt | +18 kt | -5 °C | 102 kt | 4 h 11 min | 12:16 am CDT (05:16 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 23 kt | +23 kt | -16 °C | 97 kt | 4 h 24 min | 12:29 am CDT (05:29 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 290° at 37 kt | +33 kt | -30 °C | 87 kt | 4 h 54 min | 12:59 am CDT (05:59 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 290° at 39 kt | +33 kt | -40 °C | 87 kt | 4 h 54 min | 12:59 am CDT (05:59 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 300° at 40 kt | +32 kt | -51 °C | 88 kt | 4 h 50 min | 12:55 am CDT (05:55 UTC) |
Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEM | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 240/9 | 280/14 17° | 280/20 12° | 290/25 5° | 320/25 -6° | 330/31 -18° | 320/52 -32° | 330/58 -41° | 320/42 -50° |
| LIT | used from 50 nm out; 38 nm from the line | 220/12 | 250/12 17° | 250/18 12° | 260/22 6° | 310/14 -5° | 310/25 -17° | 310/40 -31° | 310/38 -41° | 310/46 -52° |
| FSM | used from 149 nm out; 59 nm from the line | 200/18 | 210/19 15° | 230/22 13° | 250/18 7° | 270/20 -5° | 280/24 -16° | 280/35 -30° | 290/37 -40° | 300/40 -52° |
| OKC | used from 297 nm out; 87 nm from the line | 190/29 | 200/29 16° | 230/22 14° | 240/17 9° | 240/28 -6° | 250/35 -15° | 270/42 -29° | 270/43 -39° | 280/38 -51° |
| SPS | used from 347 nm out; 54 nm from the line | 180/26 | 200/25 16° | 220/19 13° | 220/20 9° | 230/26 -5° | 230/34 -15° | 260/37 -28° | 270/42 -39° | 280/40 -51° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEM Memphis, TN | departure | VFR | from the south (170°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 340 ft | 7:54 pm CDT (00:54 UTC) |
| FCY Forrest City, AR | 40 nm out, 2 nm south of the line | no report just now | 249 ft | ||||
| SGT Stuttgart, AR | 79 nm out, 18 nm south of the line | VFR | from the south (180°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 224 ft | 00:56 UTC |
| LIT Little Rock, AR | 109 nm out, 6 nm south of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 16,000 feet, a few clouds at 25,000 feet | from the southwest (220°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 266 ft | 00:53 UTC |
| SUZ Benton, AR | 129 nm out, 13 nm south of the line | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 4 knots | 8 mi | none | 389 ft | 23:35 UTC |
| MEZ Mena, AR | 208 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 1,079 ft | 23:35 UTC |
| HHW Hugo, OK | 277 nm out, 23 nm south of the line | VFR | from the south (170°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 572 ft | 00:50 UTC |
| AQR Atoka, OK | 307 nm out, 3 nm north of the line | no report just now | 590 ft | ||||
| ADM Ardmore, OK | 347 nm out, 7 nm northwest of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (170°) at 13 knots, gusting to 18 | 10+ mi | none | 776 ft | 19:50 UTC |
| DUC Duncan, OK | 396 nm out, 24 nm north of the line | VFR | from the south-southeast (160°) at 9 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,114 ft | 00:55 UTC |
| SPS Wichita Falls, TX | destination | VFR | from the south (170°) at 13 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,019 ft | 7:52 pm CDT (00:52 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,114 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At SPS when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 11:57 pm CDT (04:57 UTC)
Wind from the south at 14 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for SPS
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 14 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, clear skies
- From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south at 16 knots, gusting to 25, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for MEM, the departure
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 9 knots, gusting to 17, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 10,000 feet
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 SPS 7:03 pm CDT (00:03 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:29 pm CDT (00:29 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at SPS is before sunrise there (7:36 am CDT (12:36 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: Frederick W Smith Intl/Memphis Airport, Sheppard Afb/Wichita Falls Municipal.