Albert J Ellis Airport to Wilmington International OAJ → ILM
36 nautical miles (42 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 203°, about 211° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8W). At 120 knots that is 18 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 2-knot tailwind), arriving about 8:37 am EDT (12:37 UTC). Right now OAJ is VFR, wind from the southwest (230°) at 4 knots; ILM is IFR, wind from the west (260°) at 9 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 2W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 30,000 ft to 41,000 ft. Over the whole 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 OAJ.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- H25B descending, 4 nm southwest, 8:09 am EDT (12:09 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. 27 nm along the route, 4 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
ILM UA /OV ILM/TM 1209/FLDURD/TP H25B/SK TOPS 009 BASES 006 SCT
- Report
- a routine report filed through ILM
- Where
- over ILM
- Time
- 12:09 UTC
- Height
- during the descent
- Aircraft
- H25B
- Sky
- tops 900 ft bases 600 ft scattered
- CL30 at 1,000 ft, 0 nm south, 7:07 am EDT (11:07 UTC): a broken layer above 600 ft. At the destination end, 0 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
ILM UA /OV KILM/TM 1107/FL010/TP CL30/SK BKN006
- Report
- a routine report filed through ILM
- Where
- over KILM
- Time
- 11:07 UTC
- Height
- at 1,000 ft
- Aircraft
- CL30
- Sky
- a broken layer from 600 ft
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 1 forecast point nearest it (ILM). 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 | 300° at 20 kt | −2 kt | 122 kt | 18 min | 8:37 am EDT (12:37 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 300° at 22 kt | −3 kt | 12 °C | 123 kt | 18 min | 8:37 am EDT (12:37 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 300° at 21 kt | −2 kt | 9 °C | 122 kt | 18 min | 8:37 am EDT (12:37 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 290° at 24 kt | 0 | 6 °C | 120 kt | 18 min | 8:37 am EDT (12:37 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 290° at 29 kt | +2 kt | 3 °C | 118 kt | 18 min | 8:37 am EDT (12:37 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 290° at 32 kt | +5 kt | -1 °C | 115 kt | 19 min | 8:38 am EDT (12:38 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 280° at 35 kt | +7 kt | -4 °C | 113 kt | 19 min | 8:38 am EDT (12:38 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 280° at 38 kt | +9 kt | -7 °C | 111 kt | 19 min | 8:38 am EDT (12:38 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 270° at 40 kt | +16 kt | -18 °C | 104 kt | 21 min | 8:40 am EDT (12:40 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 250° at 49 kt | +34 kt | -32 °C | 86 kt | 25 min | 8:44 am EDT (12:44 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 250° at 50 kt | +34 kt | -40 °C | 86 kt | 25 min | 8:44 am EDT (12:44 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 270° at 33 kt | +13 kt | -50 °C | 107 kt | 20 min | 8:39 am EDT (12:39 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ILM | used from 0 nm out; 18 nm from the line | 300/18 | 300/22 13° | 300/21 8° | 290/28 4° | 280/38 -7° | 270/40 -18° | 250/49 -32° | 250/50 -40° | 270/33 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAJ Jacksonville, NC | departure | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 500 feet | from the southwest (230°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 92 ft | 7:56 am EDT (11:56 UTC) |
| ACZ Wallace, NC | 18 nm out, 16 nm northwest of the line | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 600 feet | from the west (260°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 38 ft | 11:55 UTC |
| ILM Wilmington, NC | destination | IFR Sky: a broken layer at 600 feet | from the west (260°) at 9 knots | 10+ mi | 600 ft | 31 ft | 7:53 am EDT (11:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 92 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At ILM when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:37 am EDT (12:37 UTC)
Wind from the west at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 700 feet IFR
The whole forecast for ILM
- From Mon 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the west at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 700 feet
- From Mon 9:30 am EDT (13:30 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 13 knots, gusting to 21, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 3,000 feet
- From Mon 3:00 pm EDT (19:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 9 knots, gusting to 15, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for OAJ, the departure
- From Mon 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 5,000 feet
- From Mon 11:00 am EDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 10 knots, gusting to 16, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 2,500 feet, scattered clouds at 5,000 feet
- From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind calm, 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 OAJ 6:39 pm EDT (22:39 UTC), at ILM 6:41 pm EDT (22:41 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:06 pm EDT (23:06 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: Albert J Ellis Airport, Wilmington International.