Quad Cities International to Bradley International MLI → BDL
798 nautical miles (919 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 082°, about 081° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1E). At 120 knots that is 4 h 52 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 44-knot tailwind), arriving about 11:52 am EDT (15:52 UTC). 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 2W: 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, at the departure end.
- AIRMET SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the last 559 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, mist). Over the route from 509 to 748 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 24,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the last 120 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 MLI.
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 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 8 forecast points nearest it (DBQ, JOT, FWA, CLE, BUF, AVP, ALB, BDL). 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 | 300° at 12 kt | −11 kt | 131 kt | 6 h 05 min | 1:05 pm EDT (17:05 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 320° at 13 kt | −9 kt | 129 kt | 6 h 11 min | 1:11 pm EDT (17:11 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 320° at 14 kt | −9 kt | 11 °C | 129 kt | 6 h 11 min | 1:11 pm EDT (17:11 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 310° at 15 kt | −11 kt | 8 °C | 131 kt | 6 h 05 min | 1:05 pm EDT (17:05 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 310° at 18 kt | −14 kt | 4 °C | 134 kt | 5 h 57 min | 12:57 pm EDT (16:57 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 310° at 21 kt | −16 kt | 0 °C | 136 kt | 5 h 52 min | 12:52 pm EDT (16:52 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 310° at 23 kt | −17 kt | -4 °C | 137 kt | 5 h 49 min | 12:49 pm EDT (16:49 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 310° at 25 kt | −19 kt | -8 °C | 139 kt | 5 h 44 min | 12:44 pm EDT (16:44 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 310° at 25 kt | −19 kt | -9 °C | 139 kt | 5 h 44 min | 12:44 pm EDT (16:44 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 310° at 28 kt | −22 kt | -21 °C | 142 kt | 5 h 37 min | 12:37 pm EDT (16:37 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 310° at 34 kt | −27 kt | -36 °C | 147 kt | 5 h 26 min | 12:26 pm EDT (16:26 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 300° at 46 kt | −37 kt | -44 °C | 157 kt | 5 h 05 min | 12:05 pm EDT (16:05 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 300° at 54 kt | −44 kt | -51 °C | 164 kt | 4 h 52 min | 11:52 am EDT (15:52 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DBQ | used from 0 nm out; 64 nm from the line | 250/27 | 260/23 17° | 240/26 10° | 260/30 4° | 280/26 -9° | 280/36 -21° | 270/41 -36° | 280/52 -41° | 290/67 -48° |
| JOT | used from 50 nm out; 31 nm from the line | 250/25 | 260/22 14° | 250/17 9° | 270/21 5° | 280/28 -8° | 280/36 -20° | 270/41 -35° | 280/57 -42° | 290/65 -50° |
| FWA | used from 200 nm out; 55 nm from the line | 270/20 | 300/16 15° | 290/14 10° | 280/17 3° | 290/25 -7° | 280/30 -19° | 280/34 -35° | 290/48 -44° | 300/64 -52° |
| CLE | used from 299 nm out; 74 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 449 nm out; 75 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° |
| AVP | used from 599 nm out; 59 nm from the line | 010/20 | 020/24 11° | 360/19 8° | 350/23 2° | 320/24 -11° | 330/25 -22° | 330/27 -37° | 310/28 -42° | 290/30 -50° |
| ALB | used from 698 nm out; 51 nm from the line | 340/22 | 340/19 9° | 320/16 7° | 330/16 2° | 330/19 -11° | 320/21 -23° | 320/25 -39° | 280/30 -44° | 270/41 -51° |
| BDL | used from 748 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 020/15 | 010/19 10° | 340/10 7° | 300/17 3° | 280/23 -10° | 250/35 -22° | 250/44 -38° | 250/55 -42° | 250/57 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLI Moline, IL | departure | no report just now | 589 ft | ||||
| SQI Sterling/Rockfalls, IL | 40 nm out, 12 nm north of the line | no report just now | 647 ft | ||||
| LOT Chicago/Romeoville, IL | 110 nm out, 4 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 679 ft | ||||
| SBN South Bend, IN | 190 nm out, 6 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 798 ft | ||||
| DTW Detroit, MI | 319 nm out, 14 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 645 ft | ||||
| ONZ Detroit/Grosse Ile, MI | 329 nm out, 7 nm north of the line | no report just now | 590 ft | ||||
| ERI Erie, PA | 469 nm out, 5 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 732 ft | ||||
| JHW Jamestown, NY | 509 nm out, 6 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 1,723 ft | ||||
| ELM Elmira/Corning, NY | 609 nm out, 5 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 955 ft | ||||
| BGM Binghamton, NY | 649 nm out, 9 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,635 ft | ||||
| POU Poughkeepsie, NY | 748 nm out, 22 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 163 ft | ||||
| BDL Windsor Locks, CT | destination | no report just now | 173 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,723 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At BDL when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 11:52 am EDT (15:52 UTC)
BDL has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8829 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 22 nm from the route, 439 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZOB
- 6/8587 Youngstown, OH, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 22 nm from the route, 439 nm along the route · a VIP movement · today · ZOB
Daylight
Sunset at MLI 6:26 pm CDT (23:26 UTC), at BDL 6:14 pm EDT (22:14 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:42 pm EDT (22:42 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: Quad Cities International, Bradley International.