Chicago O'Hare International to Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International ORD → AZO
106 nautical miles (122 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 081°, about 084° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 38 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 49-knot tailwind), arriving about 3:36 am EDT (07:36 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now ORD is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (200°) at 5 knots; AZO is marginal VFR, wind from the south (180°) at 7 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: 1,843 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 58 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
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 2 forecast points nearest it (JOT, MKG). 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 | 260° at 21 kt | −21 kt | 141 kt | 45 min | 3:43 am EDT (07:43 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 270° at 19 kt | −18 kt | 138 kt | 46 min | 3:44 am EDT (07:44 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 280° at 15 kt | −15 kt | 12 °C | 135 kt | 47 min | 3:45 am EDT (07:45 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 270° at 11 kt | −11 kt | 9 °C | 131 kt | 49 min | 3:47 am EDT (07:47 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 260° at 7 kt | −7 kt | 4 °C | 127 kt | 50 min | 3:48 am EDT (07:48 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 280° at 10 kt | −10 kt | 0 °C | 130 kt | 49 min | 3:47 am EDT (07:47 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 290° at 16 kt | −15 kt | -3 °C | 135 kt | 47 min | 3:45 am EDT (07:45 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 290° at 22 kt | −19 kt | -7 °C | 139 kt | 46 min | 3:44 am EDT (07:44 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 290° at 24 kt | −21 kt | -8 °C | 141 kt | 45 min | 3:43 am EDT (07:43 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 290° at 30 kt | −26 kt | -20 °C | 146 kt | 44 min | 3:42 am EDT (07:42 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 310° at 39 kt | −24 kt | -35 °C | 144 kt | 44 min | 3:42 am EDT (07:42 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 310° at 54 kt | −37 kt | -44 °C | 157 kt | 41 min | 3:39 am EDT (07:39 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 69 kt | −49 kt | -53 °C | 169 kt | 38 min | 3:36 am EDT (07:36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOT | used from 0 nm out; 48 nm from the line | 250/23 | 270/22 15° | 250/16 10° | 240/9 4° | 280/22 -7° | 280/29 -19° | 300/29 -34° | 290/50 -43° | 300/64 -52° |
| MKG | used from 48 nm out; 61 nm from the line | 260/22 | 290/16 15° | 300/11 10° | 290/5 3° | 300/26 -9° | 300/32 -20° | 320/48 -36° | 320/61 -45° | 310/74 -53° |
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 30,000 feet | from the south-southwest (200°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 680 ft | 1:51 am CDT (06:51 UTC) |
| GYY Gary/Chicago, IN | 19 nm out, 25 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (190°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 596 ft | 06:35 UTC |
| BEH Benton Harbor, MI | 68 nm out, 1 nm southwest of the line | VFR | from the south (190°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 649 ft | 06:53 UTC |
| AZO Kalamazoo, MI | destination | marginal VFR Weather: mist | from the south (180°) at 7 knots | 5 mi | none | 873 ft | 2:53 am EDT (06:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 873 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At AZO when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 3:36 am EDT (07:36 UTC)
Wind from the south at 3 knots, visibility 4 miles, mist, clear skies marginal VFR
The whole forecast for AZO
- From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 3 knots, visibility 4 miles, mist, clear skies
- From Mon 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 20,000 feet
- From Mon 1:00 pm EDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 10 knots, gusting to 18, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 20,000 feet
- From Mon 6:00 pm EDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 8,000 feet
- From Mon 11:00 pm EDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the south at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, light rain showers, scattered clouds at 5,000 feet, overcast at 8,000 feet
- 30% chance between Mon 11:00 pm EDT (03:00 UTC) and 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): visibility 2 miles, light thunderstorms with rain, mist, overcast at 3,500 feet (thunderheads)
The forecast for ORD, the departure
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds 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 southwest at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 12,000 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 AZO 7:05 pm EDT (23:05 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:33 pm EDT (23:33 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at AZO is before sunrise there (7:51 am EDT (11:51 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, Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International.