Manhattan Regional to Columbia Metro Airport MHK → CAE
811 nautical miles (934 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 108°, about 104° magnetic at the departure end (variation 4E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 02 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 41-knot tailwind), arriving about 2:43 am EDT (06:43 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: 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 TANGO 3W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). Over the first 99 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Near the route, 574 nm along the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 594 to 712 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 8,000 ft. Over the route from 663 to 742 nm out.
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 MHK.
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 20:00–03:00 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 9 forecast points nearest it (SLN, MKC, COU, STL, CGI, BNA, TYS, GSP, CAE). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,500 ft | 250° at 13 kt | −11 kt | 131 kt | 6 h 11 min | 3:52 am EDT (07:52 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 280° at 15 kt | −15 kt | 135 kt | 6 h | 3:41 am EDT (07:41 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 290° at 19 kt | −19 kt | 12 °C | 139 kt | 5 h 50 min | 3:31 am EDT (07:31 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 290° at 22 kt | −23 kt | 9 °C | 143 kt | 5 h 40 min | 3:21 am EDT (07:21 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 300° at 25 kt | −25 kt | 6 °C | 145 kt | 5 h 36 min | 3:17 am EDT (07:17 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 300° at 26 kt | −26 kt | 2 °C | 146 kt | 5 h 33 min | 3:14 am EDT (07:14 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 300° at 26 kt | −26 kt | -2 °C | 146 kt | 5 h 33 min | 3:14 am EDT (07:14 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 300° at 26 kt | −26 kt | -6 °C | 146 kt | 5 h 33 min | 3:14 am EDT (07:14 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 300° at 26 kt | −26 kt | -7 °C | 146 kt | 5 h 33 min | 3:14 am EDT (07:14 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 300° at 26 kt | −26 kt | -18 °C | 146 kt | 5 h 33 min | 3:14 am EDT (07:14 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 290° at 38 kt | −37 kt | -33 °C | 157 kt | 5 h 10 min | 2:51 am EDT (06:51 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 290° at 41 kt | −40 kt | -41 °C | 160 kt | 5 h 04 min | 2:45 am EDT (06:45 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 290° at 41 kt | −41 kt | -50 °C | 161 kt | 5 h 02 min | 2:43 am EDT (06:43 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLN | used from 0 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 190/37 | 220/39 20° | 240/31 14° | 250/24 7° | 260/25 -7° | 250/26 -17° | 250/44 -31° | 260/47 -40° | 260/47 -50° |
| MKC | used from 49 nm out; 35 nm from the line | 200/28 | 220/30 16° | 270/20 11° | 280/22 7° | 260/27 -6° | 270/27 -18° | 280/38 -32° | 270/38 -40° | 280/50 -52° |
| COU | used from 148 nm out; 58 nm from the line | 210/16 | 220/19 15° | 240/33 10° | 250/29 7° | 280/21 -6° | 280/19 -18° | 300/34 -31° | 300/40 -42° | 300/60 -52° |
| STL | used from 247 nm out; 79 nm from the line | 210/13 | 260/16 17° | 270/21 10° | 280/24 5° | 310/20 -7° | 320/22 -18° | 320/44 -33° | 320/59 -43° | 310/69 -51° |
| CGI | used from 297 nm out; 33 nm from the line | 250/10 | 290/12 17° | 290/18 11° | 300/22 5° | 320/25 -8° | 330/30 -18° | 320/53 -33° | 320/66 -42° | 320/56 -50° |
| BNA | used from 445 nm out; 38 nm from the line | 280/13 | 340/34 16° | 330/38 10° | 330/44 5° | 330/39 -8° | 330/38 -19° | 320/49 -34° | 330/53 -40° | 330/35 -47° |
| TYS | used from 594 nm out; 41 nm from the line | 290/19 | 310/22 11° | 330/25 7° | 330/34 3° | 320/37 -7° | 300/37 -18° | 300/37 -34° | 280/29 -39° | 270/29 -48° |
| GSP | used from 693 nm out; 33 nm from the line | 300/22 | 310/22 11° | 300/22 7° | 290/28 5° | 270/36 -5° | 250/42 -18° | 230/54 -31° | 230/59 -40° | 230/65 -50° |
| CAE | used from 791 nm out; 10 nm from the line | 260/27 | 310/26 11° | 280/31 9° | 270/36 7° | 250/39 -4° | 230/57 -16° | 220/74 -30° | 220/83 -40° | 220/73 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MHK Manhattan, KS | departure | no report just now | 1,066 ft | ||||
| FOE Topeka, KS | 49 nm out, 4 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,077 ft | ||||
| IXD Olathe, KS | 89 nm out, 10 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,087 ft | ||||
| TBN Fort Leonard Wood, MO | 228 nm out, 9 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,159 ft | ||||
| PYN Piedmont, MO | 307 nm out, 19 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 466 ft | ||||
| CGI Cape Girardeau, MO | 356 nm out, 7 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 341 ft | ||||
| CEY Murray, KY | 416 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 577 ft | ||||
| JWN Nashville, TN | 495 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 501 ft | ||||
| MMI Athens, TN | 623 nm out, 5 nm north of the line | no report just now | 874 ft | ||||
| CEU Clemson, SC | 712 nm out, 1 nm east of the line | no report just now | 890 ft | ||||
| GYH Greenville, SC | 732 nm out, 16 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 955 ft | ||||
| CAE Columbia, SC | destination | no report just now | 235 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,159 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At CAE when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:43 am EDT (06:43 UTC)
CAE has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/0708 Goodlettsville, TN, Saturday, August 1, 2026 through Sunday, August 1, 2027 UTC 12 nm from the route, 505 nm along the route · security · until 1 August · ZME
Daylight
Sunset at MHK 6:52 pm CDT (23:52 UTC), at CAE 6:54 pm EDT (22:54 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:19 pm EDT (23:19 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at CAE is before sunrise there (7:26 am EDT (11:26 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: Manhattan Regional, Columbia Metro Airport.