General Mitchell International to Chicago Midway International MKE → MDW
70 nautical miles (81 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 175°, about 179° magnetic at the departure end (variation 4W). At 120 knots that is 27 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 37-knot tailwind), arriving about 3:34 am CDT (08:34 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now MKE is VFR, wind from the southwest (220°) at 11 knots; MDW is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (210°) at 6 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: 648 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 MKE.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
No pilot reports within 50 nautical miles of the line in the last three hours.
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 1 forecast point nearest it (JOT). 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 23 kt | +5 kt | 115 kt | 37 min | 3:44 am CDT (08:44 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 270° at 22 kt | −1 kt | 121 kt | 35 min | 3:42 am CDT (08:42 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 260° at 19 kt | +1 kt | 12 °C | 119 kt | 35 min | 3:42 am CDT (08:42 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 250° at 15 kt | +4 kt | 9 °C | 116 kt | 36 min | 3:43 am CDT (08:43 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 240° at 10 kt | +4 kt | 5 °C | 116 kt | 36 min | 3:43 am CDT (08:43 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 260° at 12 kt | +1 kt | 1 °C | 119 kt | 35 min | 3:42 am CDT (08:42 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 270° at 16 kt | −2 kt | -2 °C | 122 kt | 34 min | 3:41 am CDT (08:41 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 280° at 21 kt | −5 kt | -6 °C | 125 kt | 34 min | 3:41 am CDT (08:41 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 280° at 22 kt | −6 kt | -7 °C | 126 kt | 33 min | 3:40 am CDT (08:40 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 29 kt | −8 kt | -19 °C | 128 kt | 33 min | 3:40 am CDT (08:40 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 300° at 29 kt | −17 kt | -34 °C | 137 kt | 31 min | 3:38 am CDT (08:38 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 290° at 50 kt | −21 kt | -43 °C | 141 kt | 30 min | 3:37 am CDT (08:37 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 300° at 64 kt | −37 kt | -52 °C | 157 kt | 27 min | 3:34 am CDT (08:34 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; 66 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° |
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 Sky: overcast at 25,000 feet | from the southwest (220°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | 25,000 ft | 728 ft | 2:52 am CDT (07:52 UTC) |
| UGN Chicago/Waukegan, IL | 35 nm out, 4 nm northwest of the line, tower | VFR | from the southwest (230°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 728 ft | 07:51 UTC |
| MDW Chicago, IL | destination | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 25,000 feet | from the south-southwest (210°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | 25,000 ft | 619 ft | 2:53 am CDT (07:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 728 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MDW when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 3:34 am CDT (08:34 UTC)
Wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for MDW
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 13 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 6:00 pm CDT (23:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 12,000 feet
The forecast for MKE, the departure
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 10 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 8:00 pm CDT (01:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 4,000 feet, scattered clouds at 11,000 feet
- From Tue 4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
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 MDW 6:14 pm CDT (23:14 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:42 pm CDT (23:42 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at MDW is before sunrise there (6:59 am CDT (11:59 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, Chicago Midway International.