General Mitchell International to Syracuse Hancock International MKE → SYR
517 nautical miles (595 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 085°, about 089° magnetic at the departure end (variation 4W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 14 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 40-knot tailwind), arriving about 7:54 am EDT (11:54 UTC). Right now MKE is VFR, wind from the southwest (220°) at 11 knots; SYR is marginal VFR, wind calm. 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: 2 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). Near the route, 99 nm along 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, fog). Over the last 368 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the last 0 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
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 08:00–15:00 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 4 forecast points nearest it (MKG, CLE, BUF, SYR). 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 | 280° at 15 kt | −15 kt | 135 kt | 3 h 50 min | 8:30 am EDT (12:30 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 300° at 14 kt | −12 kt | 132 kt | 3 h 55 min | 8:35 am EDT (12:35 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 310° at 14 kt | −10 kt | 11 °C | 130 kt | 3 h 59 min | 8:39 am EDT (12:39 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 310° at 15 kt | −11 kt | 8 °C | 131 kt | 3 h 57 min | 8:37 am EDT (12:37 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 310° at 19 kt | −15 kt | 4 °C | 135 kt | 3 h 50 min | 8:30 am EDT (12:30 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 310° at 22 kt | −17 kt | 0 °C | 137 kt | 3 h 46 min | 8:26 am EDT (12:26 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 310° at 24 kt | −18 kt | -5 °C | 138 kt | 3 h 45 min | 8:25 am EDT (12:25 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 310° at 26 kt | −19 kt | -8 °C | 139 kt | 3 h 43 min | 8:23 am EDT (12:23 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 310° at 27 kt | −20 kt | -9 °C | 140 kt | 3 h 42 min | 8:22 am EDT (12:22 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 310° at 27 kt | −20 kt | -21 °C | 140 kt | 3 h 42 min | 8:22 am EDT (12:22 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 310° at 39 kt | −27 kt | -36 °C | 147 kt | 3 h 31 min | 8:11 am EDT (12:11 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 310° at 45 kt | −33 kt | -45 °C | 153 kt | 3 h 23 min | 8:03 am EDT (12:03 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 57 kt | −40 kt | -52 °C | 160 kt | 3 h 14 min | 7:54 am EDT (11:54 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 06:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 12:00 UTC for use 08:00 to 15:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MKG | used from 0 nm out; 49 nm from the line | 260/28 | 260/18 15° | 250/16 9° | 260/22 4° | 280/31 -9° | 270/35 -21° | 270/44 -35° | 270/42 -45° | 290/61 -51° |
| CLE | used from 199 nm out; 114 nm from the line | 310/7 | 350/20 14° | 340/16 9° | 320/21 2° | 320/32 -8° | 330/34 -20° | 330/45 -36° | 320/60 -45° | 320/64 -51° |
| BUF | used from 298 nm out; 80 nm from the line | 300/11 | 330/15 11° | 340/26 8° | 330/28 2° | 340/31 -10° | 340/32 -21° | 340/52 -37° | 340/59 -46° | 330/66 -53° |
| SYR | used from 448 nm out; 45 nm from the line | 330/17 | 320/14 9° | 350/18 8° | 350/26 2° | 340/25 -11° | 360/34 -22° | 350/43 -39° | 330/50 -46° | 350/50 -54° |
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) |
| MKG Muskegon, MI | 70 nm out, 8 nm northeast of the line, tower | reported, no category | from the south (190°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 628 ft | 07:55 UTC |
| LAN Lansing, MI | 149 nm out, 21 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 6 knots | 8 mi | none | 860 ft | 07:53 UTC |
| FNT Flint, MI | 179 nm out, 11 nm south of the line, tower | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 500 feet | from the south-southwest (200°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 782 ft | 08:35 UTC |
| CYZR Sarnia, | 249 nm out, 11 nm south of the line | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 1,300 feet | from the south-southwest (210°) at 4 knots | 9 mi | none | 594 ft | 08:35 UTC |
| IAG Niagara Falls, NY | 388 nm out, 7 nm southeast of the line, tower | marginal VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 400 feet, overcast at 2,700 feet | from the west (260°) at 4 knots | 7 mi | 2,700 ft | 592 ft | 07:53 UTC |
| ROC Rochester, NY | 448 nm out, 3 nm south of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 3,900 feet, overcast at 6,000 feet Weather: mist | calm | 6 mi | 3,900 ft | 558 ft | 07:54 UTC |
| SDC Williamson/Sodus, NY | 477 nm out, 7 nm northwest of the line | low IFR Sky: overcast at 300 feet | calm | 7 mi | 300 ft | 424 ft | 06:15 UTC |
| SYR Syracuse, NY | destination | marginal VFR Sky: a broken layer at 1,400 feet, overcast at 2,400 feet Weather: light drizzle, mist | calm | 4 mi | 1,400 ft | 421 ft | 4:31 am EDT (08:31 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 860 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At SYR when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 7:54 am EDT (11:54 UTC)
Wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 700 feet IFR
The whole forecast for SYR
- From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the east at 4 knots, visibility 6 miles, light drizzle, mist, a broken layer at 400 feet
- From Mon 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 700 feet
- From Mon 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 1,500 feet
- From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 2,000 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 SYR 6:27 pm EDT (22:27 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:55 pm EDT (22:55 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, Syracuse Hancock International.