Louis Armstrong New Orleans International to Lovell Field MSY → CHA
396 nautical miles (456 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 039°, about 040° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 20 min at the quickest height in today's winds (3,500 ft, a 1-knot headwind), arriving about 2:32 am EDT (06:32 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now MSY is VFR, wind from the south (190°) at 3 knots; CHA 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: 5 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 last 50 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Near the route, at the destination end.
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
- E170 at 33,000 ft, 49 nm southeast, 8:53 pm CDT (01:53 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: ZTLFD-22. 337 nm along the route, 49 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
ATL UA /OV ATL280045/TM 0153/FL330/TP E170/TB CONS LGT CHOP /RM ZTLFD-22
- Report
- a routine report filed through ATL
- Where
- 45 nm west (280°) of ATL
- Time
- 01:53 UTC
- Height
- at 33,000 ft
- Aircraft
- E170
- Turbulence
- continuous light chop
- Remarks
- ZTLFD-22
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, BHM, HSV). 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 13 kt | +1 kt | 119 kt | 3 h 20 min | 2:32 am EDT (06:32 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 330° at 13 kt | +4 kt | 116 kt | 3 h 25 min | 2:37 am EDT (06:37 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 330° at 16 kt | +5 kt | 14 °C | 115 kt | 3 h 27 min | 2:39 am EDT (06:39 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 330° at 18 kt | +5 kt | 10 °C | 115 kt | 3 h 27 min | 2:39 am EDT (06:39 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 330° at 16 kt | +6 kt | 7 °C | 114 kt | 3 h 28 min | 2:40 am EDT (06:40 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 330° at 16 kt | +5 kt | 3 °C | 115 kt | 3 h 27 min | 2:39 am EDT (06:39 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 320° at 18 kt | +3 kt | -1 °C | 117 kt | 3 h 23 min | 2:35 am EDT (06:35 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 310° at 19 kt | +1 kt | -5 °C | 119 kt | 3 h 20 min | 2:32 am EDT (06:32 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 310° at 19 kt | +1 kt | -6 °C | 119 kt | 3 h 20 min | 2:32 am EDT (06:32 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 320° at 28 kt | +6 kt | -16 °C | 114 kt | 3 h 28 min | 2:40 am EDT (06:40 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 330° at 45 kt | +16 kt | -32 °C | 104 kt | 3 h 48 min | 3:00 am EDT (07:00 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 330° at 52 kt | +20 kt | -41 °C | 100 kt | 3 h 58 min | 3:10 am EDT (07:10 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 340° at 43 kt | +21 kt | -51 °C | 99 kt | 4 h | 3:12 am EDT (07:12 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 50 nm out; 59 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 149 nm out; 88 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° |
| BHM | used from 198 nm out; 56 nm from the line | 310/19 | 330/20 17° | 320/28 11° | 340/21 6° | 310/22 -7° | 330/33 -17° | 330/50 -32° | 330/57 -41° | 330/41 -50° |
| HSV | used from 347 nm out; 61 nm from the line | 310/20 | 330/20 16° | 320/27 11° | 340/23 5° | 320/23 -7° | 340/30 -17° | 320/50 -33° | 330/61 -41° | 340/41 -50° |
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 | from the south (190°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | 25,000 ft | 3 ft | 9:53 pm CDT (02:53 UTC) |
| HSA Bay St Louis, MS | 40 nm out, 19 nm southeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (210°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 22 ft | 00:50 UTC |
| BXA Bogalusa, LA | 50 nm out, 15 nm northwest of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 119 ft | 02:55 UTC |
| HBG Hattiesburg, MS | 89 nm out, 8 nm northwest of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 150 ft | 02:53 UTC |
| DYA Demopolis, AL | 188 nm out, 3 nm northwest of the line | marginal VFR Weather: mist | calm | 5 mi | none | 111 ft | 02:55 UTC |
| TCL Tuscaloosa, AL | 238 nm out, 19 nm northwest of the line, tower | VFR | from the north-northeast (030°) at 3 knots | 8 mi | none | 169 ft | 02:53 UTC |
| BHM Birmingham, AL | 277 nm out, 2 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 650 ft | 02:53 UTC |
| BFZ Albertville, AL | 327 nm out, 7 nm northwest of the line | VFR | from the west-southwest (240°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,032 ft | 02:55 UTC |
| CHA Chattanooga, TN | destination | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 2,500 feet | calm | 10+ mi | none | 682 ft | 10:53 pm EDT (02:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,032 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At CHA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:32 am EDT (06:32 UTC)
Wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for CHA
- From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 7,000 feet
- From Sun 11:00 pm EDT (03:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for MSY, the departure
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 1:00 pm CDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the southeast at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind light and variable, 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 CHA 7:10 pm EDT (23:10 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:35 pm EDT (23:35 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at CHA is before sunrise there (7:44 am EDT (11:44 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, Lovell Field.