Dane County Rgnl/Truax Field to Bill And Hillary Clinton Ntl/Adams Field MSN → LIT
523 nautical miles (601 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 196°, about 199° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 4 h at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 11-knot tailwind), arriving about 11:06 am CDT (16:06 UTC). Right now MSN is VFR, wind from the south (190°) at 7 knots; LIT is 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 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, 168 nm along 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 MSN.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- B739 at 34,000 ft, 46 nm east, 5:58 am CDT (10:58 UTC): no turbulence. At the departure end, 46 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
UES UA /OV BAE/TM 1058/FL340/TP B739/TB NEG
- Report
- a routine report filed through UES
- Where
- over BAE
- Time
- 10:58 UTC
- Height
- at 34,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B739
- Turbulence
- none
- E170 at 14,000 ft, 21 nm east, 6:19 am CDT (11:19 UTC): no turbulence, no icing, remarks: ZME65. At the destination end, 21 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
LIT UA /OV LIT045030/TM 1119/FL140/TP E170/TB NEG/IC NEG/RM ZME65
- Report
- a routine report filed through LIT
- Where
- 30 nm northeast (045°) of LIT
- Time
- 11:19 UTC
- Height
- at 14,000 ft
- Aircraft
- E170
- Turbulence
- none
- Icing
- none
- Remarks
- ZME65
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 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 7 forecast points nearest it (DBQ, BRL, SPI, STL, CGI, SGF, LIT). 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 | 250° at 24 kt | +14 kt | 106 kt | 4 h 56 min | 12:02 pm CDT (17:02 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 250° at 21 kt | +12 kt | 15 °C | 108 kt | 4 h 51 min | 11:57 am CDT (16:57 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 250° at 20 kt | +12 kt | 12 °C | 108 kt | 4 h 51 min | 11:57 am CDT (16:57 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 250° at 20 kt | +11 kt | 8 °C | 109 kt | 4 h 48 min | 11:54 am CDT (16:54 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 260° at 21 kt | +10 kt | 4 °C | 110 kt | 4 h 45 min | 11:51 am CDT (16:51 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 260° at 22 kt | +8 kt | 0 °C | 112 kt | 4 h 40 min | 11:46 am CDT (16:46 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 270° at 23 kt | +6 kt | -4 °C | 114 kt | 4 h 35 min | 11:41 am CDT (16:41 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 24 kt | +5 kt | -7 °C | 115 kt | 4 h 33 min | 11:39 am CDT (16:39 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 270° at 33 kt | +10 kt | -19 °C | 110 kt | 4 h 45 min | 11:51 am CDT (16:51 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 280° at 47 kt | +4 kt | -32 °C | 116 kt | 4 h 31 min | 11:37 am CDT (16:37 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 56 kt | +1 kt | -40 °C | 119 kt | 4 h 24 min | 11:30 am CDT (16:30 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 300° at 57 kt | −11 kt | -49 °C | 131 kt | 4 h | 11:06 am CDT (16:06 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; 58 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° |
| BRL | used from 99 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 250/32 | 250/19 17° | 260/15 11° | 270/16 3° | 290/23 -7° | 260/42 -20° | 270/52 -34° | 280/63 -39° | 290/64 -48° |
| SPI | used from 197 nm out; 48 nm from the line | 260/28 | 250/22 15° | 250/14 9° | 260/20 6° | 280/27 -7° | 280/34 -19° | 280/48 -32° | 280/59 -41° | 300/60 -49° |
| STL | used from 246 nm out; 26 nm from the line | 250/26 | 240/21 15° | 240/22 11° | 250/23 6° | 270/28 -7° | 260/30 -19° | 280/52 -31° | 280/57 -40° | 300/57 -49° |
| CGI | used from 345 nm out; 90 nm from the line | 260/22 | 250/15 15° | 250/13 11° | 250/16 6° | 270/29 -7° | 280/30 -18° | 290/40 -31° | 290/55 -40° | 300/51 -51° |
| SGF | used from 394 nm out; 96 nm from the line | 230/37 | 260/20 15° | 250/16 13° | 250/15 8° | 260/28 -7° | 250/31 -17° | 280/59 -31° | 280/59 -39° | 290/55 -50° |
| LIT | used from 444 nm out; 54 nm from the line | 250/22 | 250/25 18° | 240/23 12° | 240/20 7° | 250/17 -6° | 260/25 -17° | 300/45 -29° | 300/49 -40° | 310/43 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSN Madison, WI | departure | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 24,000 feet | from the south (190°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | 24,000 ft | 886 ft | 6:53 am CDT (11:53 UTC) |
| JVL Janesville, WI | 30 nm out, 21 nm east of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 20,000 feet | from the south (190°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | 20,000 ft | 807 ft | 11:45 UTC |
| FEP Freeport, IL | 59 nm out, 6 nm northeast of the line | VFR | from the southwest (220°) at 10 knots | 10+ mi | none | 859 ft | 11:55 UTC |
| MLI Moline, IL | 108 nm out, 23 nm west of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 12,000 feet | from the south-southwest (200°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 589 ft | 11:52 UTC |
| CTK Canton, IL | 158 nm out, 10 nm east of the line | no report just now | 683 ft | ||||
| PPQ Pittsfield, IL | 217 nm out, 7 nm west of the line | VFR | from the south (190°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 709 ft | 11:55 UTC |
| SUS St Louis, MO | 276 nm out, 14 nm east of the line, tower | VFR Weather: shallow fog | calm | 10+ mi | none | 463 ft | 11:54 UTC |
| UBX Cuba, MO | 316 nm out, 13 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,023 ft | ||||
| MNF Mountain View, MO | 385 nm out, 9 nm west of the line | no report just now | 1,182 ft | ||||
| CVK Ash Flat, AR | 424 nm out, 9 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 717 ft | ||||
| HBZ Heber Springs, AR | 473 nm out, 2 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 632 ft | ||||
| LIT Little Rock, AR | destination | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 feet | calm | 10+ mi | none | 266 ft | 6:53 am CDT (11:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,182 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At LIT when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 11:06 am CDT (16:06 UTC)
Wind from the southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for LIT
- From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 12 knots, gusting to 21, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 6:00 pm CDT (23:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for MSN, the departure
- From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 10 knots, gusting to 20, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 10,000 feet
- From Tue 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the west at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 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 MSN 6:19 pm CDT (23:19 UTC), at LIT 6:38 pm CDT (23:38 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:03 pm CDT (00:03 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: Dane County Rgnl/Truax Field, Bill And Hillary Clinton Ntl/Adams Field.