General Mitchell International to Lincoln Airport MKE → LNK
415 nautical miles (478 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 255°, about 259° magnetic at the departure end (variation 4W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 57 min at the quickest height in today's winds (10,500 ft, a 15-knot headwind), arriving about 1:33 am CDT (06:33 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now MKE is VFR, wind from the south (190°) at 7 knots; LNK is VFR, wind from the south (170°) at 9 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: 16 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 last 208 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 MKE.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- E295 at 37,000 ft, 15 nm northwest, 7:53 pm CDT (00:53 UTC): light chop turbulence. At the departure end, 15 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
UES UA /OV BAE/TM 0053/FL370/TP E295/TB OCNL LGT CHOP
- Report
- a routine report filed through UES
- Where
- over BAE
- Time
- 00:53 UTC
- Height
- at 37,000 ft
- Aircraft
- E295
- Turbulence
- occasional light chop
- A321 at 32,000 ft, 38 nm south, 8:56 pm CDT (01:56 UTC): light turbulence, remarks: pocket continuous light turbulence. 89 nm along the route, 38 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
RPJ UA /OV PLL/TM 0156/FL320/TP A321/TB CONS LGT/RM POCKET CONS LGT TB
- Report
- a routine report filed through RPJ
- Where
- over PLL
- Time
- 01:56 UTC
- Height
- at 32,000 ft
- Aircraft
- A321
- Turbulence
- continuous light
- Remarks
- pocket continuous light turbulence
- UAL2499 at 28,000 ft, 31 nm south, 9:15 pm CDT (02:15 UTC): light chop turbulence. 178 nm along the route, 31 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
ARP UAL2499 4138N 09137W 0215 F280 TB INTMT LGT CHOP IC
- Report
- a routine report filed through ARP
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 4 forecast points nearest it (JOT, DBQ, DSM, OMA). 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 | 240° at 33 kt | +32 kt | 88 kt | 4 h 43 min | 2:19 am CDT (07:19 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 250° at 28 kt | +28 kt | 16 °C | 92 kt | 4 h 31 min | 2:07 am CDT (07:07 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 260° at 18 kt | +19 kt | 11 °C | 101 kt | 4 h 07 min | 1:43 am CDT (06:43 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 250° at 15 kt | +15 kt | 8 °C | 105 kt | 3 h 57 min | 1:33 am CDT (06:33 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 250° at 16 kt | +16 kt | 4 °C | 104 kt | 3 h 59 min | 1:35 am CDT (06:35 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 250° at 19 kt | +19 kt | 0 °C | 101 kt | 4 h 07 min | 1:43 am CDT (06:43 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 260° at 22 kt | +22 kt | -4 °C | 98 kt | 4 h 14 min | 1:50 am CDT (06:50 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 260° at 25 kt | +25 kt | -8 °C | 95 kt | 4 h 22 min | 1:58 am CDT (06:58 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 260° at 29 kt | +29 kt | -19 °C | 91 kt | 4 h 34 min | 2:10 am CDT (07:10 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 260° at 40 kt | +40 kt | -33 °C | 80 kt | 5 h 11 min | 2:47 am CDT (07:47 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 270° at 51 kt | +49 kt | -42 °C | 71 kt | 5 h 51 min | 3:27 am CDT (08:27 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 280° at 62 kt | +56 kt | -51 °C | 64 kt | 6 h 29 min | 4:05 am CDT (09:05 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOT | used from 0 nm out; 80 nm from the line | 250/23 | 270/22 15° | 250/16 10° | 240/9 4° | 280/22 -7° | 280/29 -19° | 300/29 -34° | 290/50 -43° | 300/64 -52° |
| DBQ | used from 49 nm out; 54 nm from the line | 230/33 | 250/30 16° | 280/15 9° | 260/15 5° | 260/21 -7° | 260/24 -20° | 250/37 -33° | 270/42 -43° | 280/63 -52° |
| DSM | used from 198 nm out; 48 nm from the line | 230/40 | 250/33 17° | 250/18 12° | 240/17 5° | 260/28 -8° | 270/34 -19° | 260/41 -33° | 260/55 -41° | 270/62 -51° |
| OMA | used from 297 nm out; 49 nm from the line | 220/47 | 240/33 19° | 250/18 11° | 230/17 6° | 260/29 -8° | 250/33 -19° | 250/51 -33° | 260/61 -40° | 270/62 -49° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MKE Milwaukee, WI | departure | VFR | from the south (190°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 728 ft | 8:52 pm CDT (01:52 UTC) |
| BUU Burlington, WI | 20 nm out, 10 nm south of the line | VFR | from the south-southwest (210°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 780 ft | 02:15 UTC |
| JVL Janesville, WI | 49 nm out, 7 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (180°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 807 ft | 02:15 UTC |
| PVB Platteville, WI | 109 nm out, 15 nm northwest of the line | VFR | from the south (170°) at 9 knots | 7 mi | none | 1,025 ft | 02:15 UTC |
| DBQ Dubuque, IA | 129 nm out, 2 nm north of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (170°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,076 ft | 01:53 UTC |
| CID Cedar Rapids, IA | 178 nm out, 15 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (170°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 869 ft | 00:52 UTC |
| TZT Belle Plaine, IA | 208 nm out, 8 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 771 ft | ||||
| DSM Des Moines, IA | 267 nm out, 9 nm south of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 25,000 feet | from the south (180°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | 25,000 ft | 957 ft | 01:54 UTC |
| GFZ Greenfield, IA | 307 nm out, 9 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,363 ft | ||||
| OMA Omaha, NE | 366 nm out, 12 nm northwest of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 25,000 feet | from the south-southeast (160°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | 25,000 ft | 984 ft | 01:52 UTC |
| PMV Plattsmouth, NE | 376 nm out, 8 nm south of the line | VFR | from the south-southeast (160°) at 10 knots, gusting to 14 | 10+ mi | none | 1,204 ft | 02:15 UTC |
| LNK Lincoln, NE | destination | VFR | from the south (170°) at 9 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,218 ft | 8:54 pm CDT (01:54 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,363 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At LNK when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:33 am CDT (06:33 UTC)
Wind from the south at 14 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 25,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for LNK
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Sun 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the south at 14 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 14 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for MKE, the departure
- From Sun 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the south at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Sun 10:00 pm CDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 13 knots, gusting to 21, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, scattered 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 MKE 6:14 pm CDT (23:14 UTC), at LNK 6:51 pm CDT (23:51 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:19 pm CDT (00:19 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at LNK is before sunrise there (7:34 am CDT (12:34 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: General Mitchell International, Lincoln Airport.