Chicago O'Hare International to Alexandria International ORD → AEX
677 nautical miles (779 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 201°, about 204° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 5 h 08 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 12-knot tailwind), arriving about 2:16 pm CDT (19:16 UTC). Right now ORD is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (210°) at 10 knots; AEX is VFR, wind from the south-southeast (150°) 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: 1 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
No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.
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
- B39M at 36,000 ft, 15 nm north, 8:18 am CDT (13:18 UTC): no turbulence. At the departure end, 15 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
PWK UA /OV OBK/TM 1318/FL360/TP B39M/TB NEG
- Report
- a routine report filed through PWK
- Where
- over OBK
- Time
- 13:18 UTC
- Height
- at 36,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B39M
- Turbulence
- none
- E170 at 14,000 ft, 29 nm northwest, 6:19 am CDT (11:19 UTC): no turbulence, no icing, remarks: ZME65. 458 nm along the route, 29 nm northwest 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
- BE33 at 4,500 ft, 46 nm east, 8:05 am CDT (13:05 UTC): clear from 4,500 ft to 60,000 ft, remarks: ZME65. 468 nm along the route, 46 nm east of the line.
as filed, and in English
UTA UA /OV UTA180015/TM 1305/FL045/TP BE33/SK SKC/RM ZME65
- Report
- a routine report filed through UTA
- Where
- 15 nm south (180°) of UTA
- Time
- 13:05 UTC
- Height
- at 4,500 ft
- Aircraft
- BE33
- Sky
- clear
- Remarks
- ZME65
- BE9L at 5,000 ft, 7 nm southwest, 8:06 am CDT (13:06 UTC): clear from 5,000 ft to 60,000 ft, remarks: ZME65. 528 nm along the route, 7 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
LLQ UA /OV LLQ/TM 1306/FL050/TP BE9L/SK SKC/RM ZME65
- Report
- a routine report filed through LLQ
- Where
- over LLQ
- Time
- 13:06 UTC
- Height
- at 5,000 ft
- Aircraft
- BE9L
- Sky
- clear
- Remarks
- ZME65
- PC12 at 20,000 ft, 10 nm southwest, 8:49 am CDT (13:49 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: zhu. At the destination end, 10 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
AEX UA /OV AEX250010/TM 1349/FL200/TP PC12/TB LGT CHOP/RM ZHU
- Report
- a routine report filed through AEX
- Where
- 10 nm west (250°) of AEX
- Time
- 13:49 UTC
- Height
- at 20,000 ft
- Aircraft
- PC12
- Turbulence
- light chop
- Remarks
- zhu
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 8 forecast points nearest it (JOT, SPI, STL, CGI, MEM, LIT, JAN, SHV). 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 20 kt | +13 kt | 107 kt | 6 h 20 min | 3:28 pm CDT (20:28 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 250° at 19 kt | +12 kt | 15 °C | 108 kt | 6 h 16 min | 3:24 pm CDT (20:24 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 250° at 17 kt | +11 kt | 12 °C | 109 kt | 6 h 13 min | 3:21 pm CDT (20:21 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 250° at 17 kt | +10 kt | 8 °C | 110 kt | 6 h 09 min | 3:17 pm CDT (20:17 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 260° at 18 kt | +9 kt | 5 °C | 111 kt | 6 h 06 min | 3:14 pm CDT (20:14 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 260° at 19 kt | +8 kt | 1 °C | 112 kt | 6 h 03 min | 3:11 pm CDT (20:11 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 270° at 21 kt | +7 kt | -4 °C | 113 kt | 5 h 59 min | 3:07 pm CDT (20:07 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 23 kt | +7 kt | -7 °C | 113 kt | 5 h 59 min | 3:07 pm CDT (20:07 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 26 kt | +6 kt | -18 °C | 114 kt | 5 h 56 min | 3:04 pm CDT (20:04 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 290° at 40 kt | −1 kt | -31 °C | 121 kt | 5 h 36 min | 2:44 pm CDT (19:44 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 290° at 49 kt | −2 kt | -40 °C | 122 kt | 5 h 33 min | 2:41 pm CDT (19:41 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 300° at 49 kt | −12 kt | -50 °C | 132 kt | 5 h 08 min | 2:16 pm CDT (19:16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOT | used from 0 nm out; 5 nm from the line | 250/25 | 260/22 14° | 250/17 9° | 270/21 5° | 280/28 -8° | 280/36 -20° | 270/41 -35° | 280/57 -42° | 290/65 -50° |
| SPI | used from 100 nm out; 39 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 199 nm out; 40 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 249 nm out; 33 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° |
| MEM | used from 348 nm out; 72 nm from the line | 250/19 | 260/19 17° | 270/20 12° | 270/16 6° | 270/21 -6° | 290/27 -17° | 300/37 -30° | 300/49 -40° | 310/40 -51° |
| LIT | used from 448 nm out; 48 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° |
| JAN | used from 548 nm out; 101 nm from the line | 240/10 | 260/15 18° | 280/10 11° | 290/6 6° | 290/15 -5° | 300/15 -17° | 320/35 -30° | 330/38 -40° | 330/39 -51° |
| SHV | used from 597 nm out; 83 nm from the line | 210/20 | 210/20 18° | 230/20 11° | 240/16 7° | 270/17 -7° | 250/11 -15° | 300/34 -30° | 310/34 -40° | 320/36 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago, IL | departure | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 18,000 feet, a few clouds at 25,000 feet | from the south-southwest (210°) at 10 knots | 10+ mi | none | 680 ft | 8:51 am CDT (13:51 UTC) |
| LOT Chicago/Romeoville, IL | 20 nm out, 4 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (190°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 679 ft | 13:45 UTC |
| BMI Bloomington/Normal, IL | 100 nm out, 11 nm west of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | none | 871 ft | 13:56 UTC |
| DEC Decatur, IL | 139 nm out, 5 nm east of the line, tower | VFR | from the southwest (230°) at 10 knots | 10+ mi | none | 681 ft | 13:54 UTC |
| BLV Belleville, IL | 219 nm out, 13 nm west of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 459 ft | 13:55 UTC |
| POF Poplar Bluff, MO | 329 nm out, 3 nm south of the line | VFR | from the south-southwest (210°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 330 ft | 13:53 UTC |
| JBR Jonesboro, AR | 388 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line | VFR | from the southwest (220°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 262 ft | 13:53 UTC |
| DRP Colt, AR | 438 nm out, 11 nm east of the line | VFR | from the south-southwest (210°) at 7 knots | 7 mi | none | 238 ft | 13:55 UTC |
| LLQ Monticello, AR | 528 nm out, 7 nm southwest of the line | VFR | from the west-southwest (250°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 267 ft | 13:53 UTC |
| MLU Monroe, LA | 597 nm out, 5 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 78 ft | 13:53 UTC |
| AEX Alexandria, LA | destination | VFR | from the south-southeast (150°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 88 ft | 8:53 am CDT (13:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 871 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At AEX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:16 pm CDT (19:16 UTC)
Wind from the south-southeast at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for AEX
- From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 11:00 am CDT (16:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 9:00 pm CDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for ORD, 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 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 13 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 6:00 pm CDT (23:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 12,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 pm CDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 10,000 feet
- From Tue 5:00 am CDT (10:00 UTC): wind from the west at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 20,000 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 ORD 6:15 pm CDT (23:15 UTC), at AEX 6:42 pm CDT (23:42 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:06 pm CDT (00:06 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: Chicago O'Hare International, Alexandria International.