Smyrna Airport to Chicago O'Hare International MQY → ORD
364 nautical miles (419 statute miles) north on a straight line, true course 350°, about 352° magnetic at the departure end (variation 2W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 12 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 6-knot headwind), arriving about 1:48 am CDT (06:48 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: 128 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 SIERRA 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the first 207 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 MQY.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- B739 at 34,000 ft, 5 nm east, 8:51 pm CDT (01:51 UTC): light to moderate chop turbulence, remarks: zme. 59 nm along the route, 5 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
BWG UA /OV BWG270010/TM 0151/FL340/TP B739/TB CONS LGT OCNL MOD CHOP/RM ZME
- Report
- a routine report filed through BWG
- Where
- 10 nm west (270°) of BWG
- Time
- 01:51 UTC
- Height
- at 34,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B739
- Turbulence
- continuous light occasional moderate chop
- Remarks
- zme
- A21N at 17,000 ft, 42 nm east, 8:28 pm CDT (01:28 UTC): no icing, clear from 17,000 ft to 60,000 ft, remarks: clear since departing KIND southbound. 177 nm along the route, 42 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
IND UA /OV IND183045/TM 0128/FL170/TP A21N/SK SKC/IC NEG/RM CLR SINCE DEPARTING KIND SOUTHBOUND
- Report
- a routine report filed through IND
- Where
- 45 nm south (183°) of IND
- Time
- 01:28 UTC
- Height
- at 17,000 ft
- Aircraft
- A21N
- Sky
- clear
- Icing
- none
- Remarks
- clear since departing KIND southbound
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 (BNA, EVV, IND, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,500 ft | 280° at 16 kt | +6 kt | 114 kt | 3 h 12 min | 1:48 am CDT (06:48 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 290° at 16 kt | +9 kt | 15 °C | 111 kt | 3 h 17 min | 1:53 am CDT (06:53 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 300° at 15 kt | +9 kt | 11 °C | 111 kt | 3 h 17 min | 1:53 am CDT (06:53 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 300° at 13 kt | +9 kt | 7 °C | 111 kt | 3 h 17 min | 1:53 am CDT (06:53 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 310° at 11 kt | +9 kt | 3 °C | 111 kt | 3 h 17 min | 1:53 am CDT (06:53 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 310° at 15 kt | +11 kt | 0 °C | 109 kt | 3 h 20 min | 1:56 am CDT (06:56 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 300° at 19 kt | +13 kt | -3 °C | 107 kt | 3 h 24 min | 2:00 am CDT (07:00 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 300° at 22 kt | +15 kt | -6 °C | 105 kt | 3 h 28 min | 2:04 am CDT (07:04 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 310° at 26 kt | +20 kt | -18 °C | 100 kt | 3 h 38 min | 2:14 am CDT (07:14 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 320° at 37 kt | +32 kt | -33 °C | 88 kt | 4 h 08 min | 2:44 am CDT (07:44 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 310° at 54 kt | +40 kt | -42 °C | 80 kt | 4 h 33 min | 3:09 am CDT (08:09 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 56 kt | +46 kt | -51 °C | 74 kt | 4 h 55 min | 3:31 am CDT (08:31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BNA | used from 0 nm out; 18 nm from the line | 310/20 | 340/20 17° | 330/24 10° | 340/22 5° | 330/26 -6° | 340/29 -18° | 330/52 -33° | 320/62 -41° | 340/45 -50° |
| EVV | used from 49 nm out; 61 nm from the line | 280/15 | 290/12 17° | 310/16 10° | 320/13 5° | 310/22 -6° | 320/26 -18° | 320/38 -33° | 310/56 -41° | 320/55 -51° |
| IND | used from 197 nm out; 48 nm from the line | 290/16 | 310/20 16° | 320/21 10° | 330/13 3° | 300/25 -7° | 320/32 -19° | 330/46 -34° | 320/61 -43° | 320/63 -50° |
| JOT | used from 246 nm out; 71 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MQY Smyrna, TN | departure | no report just now | 543 ft | ||||
| XNX Gallatin, TN | 20 nm out, 9 nm east of the line | no report just now | 583 ft | ||||
| BWG Bowling Green, KY | 59 nm out, 15 nm east of the line | no report just now | 547 ft | ||||
| OWB Owensboro, KY | 108 nm out, 13 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 407 ft | ||||
| HNB Huntingburg, IN | 138 nm out, 3 nm east of the line | no report just now | 529 ft | ||||
| DCY Washington, IN | 167 nm out, 3 nm south of the line | no report just now | 472 ft | ||||
| HUF Terre Haute, IN | 207 nm out, 3 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 589 ft | ||||
| DNV Danville, IL | 256 nm out, 6 nm west of the line | no report just now | 696 ft | ||||
| IKK Kankakee, IL | 315 nm out, 9 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 629 ft | ||||
| LOT Chicago/Romeoville, IL | 344 nm out, 12 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 679 ft | ||||
| ORD Chicago, IL | destination | no report just now | 680 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 696 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At ORD when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:48 am CDT (06:48 UTC)
ORD 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 4 nm from the route, 20 nm along the route · security · until 1 August · ZME
Daylight
Sunset at MQY 6:14 pm CDT (23:14 UTC), at ORD 6:15 pm CDT (23:15 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:43 pm CDT (23:43 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at ORD is before sunrise there (7:00 am CDT (12:00 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: Smyrna Airport, Chicago O'Hare International.