Norfolk International to Tri-State/Milton J Ferguson Field ORF → HTS
315 nautical miles (363 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 288°, about 297° magnetic at the departure end (variation 9W). At 120 knots that is 3 h at the quickest height in today's winds (10,500 ft, a 15-knot headwind), arriving about 4:56 am EDT (08:56 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 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 286 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the route from 39 to 148 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 10,000 ft. Over the route from 128 to 217 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 148 to 305 nm out.
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 ORF.
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 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 4 forecast points nearest it (ORF, RIC, ROA, CRW). 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 21 kt | +20 kt | 100 kt | 3 h 09 min | 5:05 am EDT (09:05 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 300° at 20 kt | +19 kt | 11 °C | 101 kt | 3 h 07 min | 5:03 am EDT (09:03 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 300° at 17 kt | +16 kt | 8 °C | 104 kt | 3 h 02 min | 4:58 am EDT (08:58 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 290° at 16 kt | +15 kt | 6 °C | 105 kt | 3 h | 4:56 am EDT (08:56 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 280° at 16 kt | +16 kt | 3 °C | 104 kt | 3 h 02 min | 4:58 am EDT (08:58 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 280° at 19 kt | +19 kt | -1 °C | 101 kt | 3 h 07 min | 5:03 am EDT (09:03 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 270° at 23 kt | +22 kt | -4 °C | 98 kt | 3 h 13 min | 5:09 am EDT (09:09 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 25 kt | +24 kt | -7 °C | 96 kt | 3 h 17 min | 5:13 am EDT (09:13 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 260° at 31 kt | +27 kt | -20 °C | 93 kt | 3 h 23 min | 5:19 am EDT (09:19 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 250° at 42 kt | +31 kt | -31 °C | 89 kt | 3 h 32 min | 5:28 am EDT (09:28 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 250° at 51 kt | +38 kt | -39 °C | 82 kt | 3 h 50 min | 5:46 am EDT (09:46 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 250° at 43 kt | +34 kt | -49 °C | 86 kt | 3 h 40 min | 5:36 am EDT (09:36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORF | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 250/24 | 230/32 11° | 220/37 10° | 220/37 6° | 230/47 -5° | 230/62 -17° | 220/89 -30° | 220/93 -40° | 230/77 -51° |
| RIC | used from 49 nm out; 22 nm from the line | 270/23 | 280/19 11° | 270/18 8° | 240/22 4° | 230/39 -7° | 220/55 -18° | 220/75 -30° | 230/83 -39° | 230/64 -50° |
| ROA | used from 148 nm out; 30 nm from the line | 310/29 | 330/31 13° | 340/28 7° | 330/25 3° | 310/32 -8° | 300/32 -22° | 290/32 -31° | 270/35 -38° | 270/32 -47° |
| CRW | used from 246 nm out; 12 nm from the line | 330/20 | 330/23 11° | 340/25 8° | 340/21 2° | 340/33 -9° | 340/41 -20° | 330/42 -35° | 320/44 -39° | 320/43 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORF Norfolk, VA | departure | no report just now | 26 ft | ||||
| PHF Newport News, VA | 20 nm out, 9 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 42 ft | ||||
| BKT Blackstone, VA | 79 nm out, 16 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 437 ft | ||||
| FVX Farmville, VA | 108 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 415 ft | ||||
| LYH Lynchburg, VA | 148 nm out, 18 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 938 ft | ||||
| LWB Lewisburg, WV | 207 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 2,301 ft | ||||
| SXL Summersville, WV | 236 nm out, 12 nm north of the line | no report just now | 1,819 ft | ||||
| CRW Charleston, WV | 276 nm out, 13 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 947 ft | ||||
| HTS Huntington, WV | destination | no report just now | 828 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,301 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At HTS when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 4:56 am EDT (08:56 UTC)
HTS 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 ORF 6:32 pm EDT (22:32 UTC), at HTS 6:56 pm EDT (22:56 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:23 pm EDT (23:23 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at HTS is before sunrise there (7:36 am EDT (11:36 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: Norfolk International, Tri-State/Milton J Ferguson Field.