Louis Armstrong New Orleans International to Athens/Ben Epps Airport MSY → AHN
425 nautical miles (490 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 054°, about 055° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 16 min at the quickest height in today's winds (24,000 ft, a 10-knot tailwind), arriving about 5:18 am EDT (09:18 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now MSY is VFR, wind calm; AHN is VFR, wind from the west-southwest (250°) at 4 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: 4 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 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 10,000 ft. Over the last 40 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 MSY.
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 5 forecast points nearest it (MSY, MOB, MGM, CSG, ATL). 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 | 320° at 14 kt | −1 kt | 121 kt | 3 h 31 min | 5:33 am EDT (09:33 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 330° at 17 kt | +2 kt | 118 kt | 3 h 36 min | 5:38 am EDT (09:38 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 340° at 19 kt | +4 kt | 15 °C | 116 kt | 3 h 40 min | 5:42 am EDT (09:42 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 340° at 20 kt | +4 kt | 10 °C | 116 kt | 3 h 40 min | 5:42 am EDT (09:42 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 330° at 17 kt | +2 kt | 8 °C | 118 kt | 3 h 36 min | 5:38 am EDT (09:38 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 320° at 18 kt | −1 kt | 4 °C | 121 kt | 3 h 31 min | 5:33 am EDT (09:33 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 320° at 20 kt | −3 kt | 0 °C | 123 kt | 3 h 27 min | 5:29 am EDT (09:29 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 310° at 21 kt | −5 kt | -5 °C | 125 kt | 3 h 24 min | 5:26 am EDT (09:26 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 310° at 22 kt | −6 kt | -6 °C | 126 kt | 3 h 22 min | 5:24 am EDT (09:24 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 310° at 29 kt | −10 kt | -17 °C | 130 kt | 3 h 16 min | 5:18 am EDT (09:18 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 330° at 46 kt | +7 kt | -32 °C | 113 kt | 3 h 46 min | 5:48 am EDT (09:48 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 330° at 49 kt | +7 kt | -41 °C | 113 kt | 3 h 46 min | 5:48 am EDT (09:48 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 340° at 41 kt | +9 kt | -51 °C | 111 kt | 3 h 50 min | 5:52 am EDT (09:52 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSY | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 110/5 | 150/6 19° | L/V 12° | 310/5 7° | 310/13 -4° | 290/20 -16° | 330/36 -31° | 330/37 -41° | 350/43 -52° |
| MOB | used from 49 nm out; 44 nm from the line | 330/5 | 330/6 19° | 340/6 11° | 330/10 7° | 320/16 -5° | 310/26 -16° | 340/40 -32° | 340/47 -42° | 350/51 -52° |
| MGM | used from 198 nm out; 20 nm from the line | 310/19 | 340/24 17° | 340/28 11° | 330/16 7° | 300/23 -7° | 320/32 -16° | 330/46 -33° | 330/55 -42° | 330/41 -50° |
| CSG | used from 297 nm out; 31 nm from the line | 310/24 | 340/35 17° | 340/37 12° | 330/22 8° | 310/30 -7° | 290/30 -18° | 340/57 -32° | 340/55 -41° | 320/33 -49° |
| ATL | used from 346 nm out; 14 nm from the line | 320/30 | 330/37 16° | 340/44 11° | 330/35 7° | 310/33 -6° | 300/38 -18° | 330/58 -33° | 330/48 -40° | 320/34 -49° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSY New Orleans, LA | departure | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 25,000 feet | calm | 10+ mi | 25,000 ft | 3 ft | 12:53 am CDT (05:53 UTC) |
| ASD Slidell, LA | 30 nm out, 4 nm north of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 28 ft | 05:53 UTC |
| HSA Bay St Louis, MS | 49 nm out, 6 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (210°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 22 ft | 00:50 UTC |
| MVC Monroeville, AL | 178 nm out, 15 nm south of the line | no report just now | 419 ft | ||||
| MGM Montgomery, AL | 237 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 9 mi | none | 221 ft | 05:53 UTC |
| AUO Auburn, AL | 297 nm out, 11 nm south of the line, tower | reported, no category | calm | none | 776 ft | 05:21 UTC | |
| LGC Lagrange, GA | 317 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line | low IFR Sky: overcast at 100 feet Weather: fog | calm | 0.25 mi | 100 ft | 693 ft | 05:35 UTC |
| ATL Atlanta, GA | 366 nm out, 14 nm north of the line, tower | VFR | from the west-northwest (300°) at 9 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,026 ft | 05:52 UTC |
| LZU Lawrenceville, GA | 396 nm out, 19 nm north of the line, tower | VFR | from the west (270°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,061 ft | 05:56 UTC |
| AHN Athens, GA | destination | VFR | from the west-southwest (250°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 812 ft | 1:51 am EDT (05:51 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,061 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At AHN when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 5:18 am EDT (09:18 UTC)
Wind from the west-northwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for AHN
- From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the west at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for MSY, the departure
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the southeast at 5 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 MSY 6:33 pm CDT (23:33 UTC), at AHN 7:03 pm EDT (23:03 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:28 pm EDT (23:28 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at AHN is before sunrise there (7:35 am EDT (11:35 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: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, Athens/Ben Epps Airport.