Chicago O'Hare International to Albuquerque International Sunport ORD → ABQ
970 nautical miles (1,116 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 251°, about 254° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 9 h 54 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 22-knot headwind), arriving about 4:26 am MDT (10:26 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: 2,255 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
- SIGMET W68W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 36,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 8:55 pm CDT (01:55 UTC). Over the last 90 nm of the route.
as issued
WSUS33 KKCI 112355 MKCW WST 112355 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 68W VALID UNTIL 0155Z CO NM AZ UT FROM 30W CHE-20NNW TBE-60SE ABQ-40N SJN-30SW MTU-30W CHE AREA TS MOV FROM 23040KT. TOPS TO FL360.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the last 150 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 35,000 ft to 45,000 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 ORD.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
Not fetched just now.
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 20:00–03:00 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 8 forecast points nearest it (JOT, BRL, DSM, MKC, SLN, GCK, TCC, ABQ). 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 | 210° at 26 kt | +22 kt | 21 °C | 98 kt | 9 h 54 min | 4:26 am MDT (10:26 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 220° at 26 kt | +24 kt | 17 °C | 96 kt | 10 h 06 min | 4:38 am MDT (10:38 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 230° at 24 kt | +24 kt | 13 °C | 96 kt | 10 h 06 min | 4:38 am MDT (10:38 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 240° at 22 kt | +23 kt | 9 °C | 97 kt | 10 h | 4:32 am MDT (10:32 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 250° at 21 kt | +22 kt | 5 °C | 98 kt | 9 h 54 min | 4:26 am MDT (10:26 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 250° at 22 kt | +22 kt | 1 °C | 98 kt | 9 h 54 min | 4:26 am MDT (10:26 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 250° at 23 kt | +23 kt | -4 °C | 97 kt | 10 h | 4:32 am MDT (10:32 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 250° at 23 kt | +23 kt | -7 °C | 97 kt | 10 h | 4:32 am MDT (10:32 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 260° at 27 kt | +27 kt | -18 °C | 93 kt | 10 h 26 min | 4:58 am MDT (10:58 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 260° at 41 kt | +41 kt | -31 °C | 79 kt | 12 h 17 min | 6:49 am MDT (12:49 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 270° at 46 kt | +43 kt | -40 °C | 77 kt | 12 h 36 min | 7:08 am MDT (13:08 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 270° at 50 kt | +45 kt | -50 °C | 75 kt | 12 h 56 min | 7:28 am MDT (13:28 UTC) |
Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOT | used from 0 nm out; 22 nm from the line | 230/11 | 290/12 16° | 300/19 10° | 320/19 4° | 300/17 -9° | 330/31 -20° | 320/49 -37° | 320/53 -45° | 320/67 -49° |
| BRL | used from 100 nm out; 40 nm from the line | 200/20 | 250/21 16° | 240/22 10° | 260/20 5° | 270/16 -7° | 290/22 -18° | 320/41 -34° | 320/56 -43° | 310/68 -53° |
| DSM | used from 250 nm out; 73 nm from the line | 200/32 | 240/27 17° | 260/19 10° | 260/16 5° | 260/19 -7° | 240/22 -19° | 270/20 -32° | 270/38 -42° | 290/58 -53° |
| MKC | used from 300 nm out; 52 nm from the line | 200/28 | 220/30 16° | 270/20 11° | 280/22 7° | 260/27 -6° | 270/27 -18° | 280/38 -32° | 270/38 -40° | 280/50 -52° |
| SLN | used from 400 nm out; 60 nm from the line | 190/37 | 220/39 20° | 240/31 14° | 250/24 7° | 260/25 -7° | 250/26 -17° | 250/44 -31° | 260/47 -40° | 260/47 -50° |
| GCK | used from 550 nm out; 64 nm from the line | 200/35 21° | 220/34 14° | 240/30 8° | 240/27 -6° | 240/31 -17° | 240/53 -30° | 250/55 -39° | 250/60 -50° | |
| TCC | used from 750 nm out; 92 nm from the line | 200/26 | 200/28 14° | 220/25 7° | 230/28 -7° | 240/41 -19° | 240/62 -28° | 250/61 -37° | 250/49 -49° | |
| ABQ | used from 900 nm out; 45 nm from the line | 200/28 13° | 210/28 5° | 210/44 -7° | 230/46 -20° | 230/80 -28° | 240/74 -35° | 240/58 -47° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago, IL | departure | no report just now | 680 ft | ||||
| ARR Chicago/Aurora, IL | 30 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 712 ft | ||||
| MLI Moline, IL | 120 nm out, 10 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 589 ft | ||||
| TVK Centerville, IA | 240 nm out, 8 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,023 ft | ||||
| STJ St Joseph, MO | 340 nm out, 7 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 826 ft | ||||
| SLN Salina, KS | 480 nm out, 8 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,288 ft | ||||
| GBD Great Bend, KS | 550 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 1,886 ft | ||||
| GCK Garden City, KS | 640 nm out, 13 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 2,890 ft | ||||
| EHA Elkhart, KS | 710 nm out, 11 nm south of the line | no report just now | 3,621 ft | ||||
| CAO Clayton, NM | 780 nm out, 11 nm south of the line | no report just now | 4,969 ft | ||||
| SAF Santa Fe, NM | 930 nm out, 17 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 6,348 ft | ||||
| ABQ Albuquerque, NM | destination | no report just now | 5,354 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 6,348 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At ABQ when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 4:26 am MDT (10:26 UTC)
ABQ has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
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 ORD 6:15 pm CDT (23:15 UTC), at ABQ 6:35 pm MDT (00:35 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:01 pm MDT (01:01 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at ABQ is before sunrise there (7:09 am MDT (13:09 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: Chicago O'Hare International, Albuquerque International Sunport.