Dekalb-Peachtree Airport to Southwest Florida International PDK → RSW
460 nautical miles (529 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 163°, about 168° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 10 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 25-knot tailwind), arriving about 9:55 am EDT (13:55 UTC). Right now PDK is VFR, wind from the west-northwest (300°) at 5 knots; RSW is marginal VFR, wind from the north-northeast (020°) 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: 3 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 3W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 6,000 ft. Near the route, at the departure end.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 30,000 ft to 41,000 ft. Over the route from 284 to 294 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 PDK.
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 08:00–15:00 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 5 forecast points nearest it (ATL, CSG, TLH, JAX, PIE). 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 | 340° at 20 kt | −20 kt | 140 kt | 3 h 17 min | 10:02 am EDT (14:02 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 340° at 21 kt | −21 kt | 141 kt | 3 h 16 min | 10:01 am EDT (14:01 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 340° at 20 kt | −20 kt | 15 °C | 140 kt | 3 h 17 min | 10:02 am EDT (14:02 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 340° at 18 kt | −18 kt | 11 °C | 138 kt | 3 h 20 min | 10:05 am EDT (14:05 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 320° at 15 kt | −13 kt | 8 °C | 133 kt | 3 h 28 min | 10:13 am EDT (14:13 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 310° at 16 kt | −13 kt | 3 °C | 133 kt | 3 h 28 min | 10:13 am EDT (14:13 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 310° at 18 kt | −14 kt | -1 °C | 134 kt | 3 h 26 min | 10:11 am EDT (14:11 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 310° at 20 kt | −15 kt | -5 °C | 135 kt | 3 h 24 min | 10:09 am EDT (14:09 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 310° at 20 kt | −16 kt | -6 °C | 136 kt | 3 h 23 min | 10:08 am EDT (14:08 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 330° at 24 kt | −23 kt | -18 °C | 143 kt | 3 h 13 min | 9:58 am EDT (13:58 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 320° at 27 kt | −24 kt | -32 °C | 144 kt | 3 h 12 min | 9:57 am EDT (13:57 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 320° at 27 kt | −25 kt | -41 °C | 145 kt | 3 h 10 min | 9:55 am EDT (13:55 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 320° at 19 kt | −17 kt | -51 °C | 137 kt | 3 h 21 min | 10:06 am EDT (14:06 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | used from 0 nm out; 16 nm from the line | 330/32 | 340/36 17° | 350/34 10° | 340/25 6° | 330/27 -6° | 350/35 -18° | 330/49 -32° | 340/47 -41° | 340/27 -51° |
| CSG | used from 49 nm out; 55 nm from the line | 330/27 | 340/28 16° | 350/28 11° | 330/17 6° | 340/25 -6° | 350/33 -18° | 330/46 -32° | 340/45 -41° | 350/31 -52° |
| TLH | used from 147 nm out; 70 nm from the line | 340/23 | 350/26 17° | 350/21 11° | 300/13 6° | 320/25 -6° | 340/35 -16° | 350/44 -32° | 360/51 -42° | 350/33 -52° |
| JAX | used from 245 nm out; 78 nm from the line | 310/22 | 310/19 16° | 300/22 14° | 290/25 8° | 300/25 -7° | 300/24 -18° | 270/20 -33° | 260/25 -41° | 290/17 -51° |
| PIE | used from 294 nm out; 55 nm from the line | 360/10 | 340/12 18° | 330/9 13° | 290/12 8° | 260/21 -7° | 280/18 -18° | 250/20 -33° | 250/26 -41° | 250/20 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDK Atlanta, GA | departure | VFR | from the west-northwest (300°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 998 ft | 5:53 am EDT (09:53 UTC) |
| HMP Atlanta, GA | 29 nm out, 10 nm west of the line | marginal VFR Weather: mist | calm | 5 mi | none | 881 ft | 10:35 UTC |
| MCN Macon, GA | 78 nm out, 10 nm east of the line, tower | VFR | from the west-northwest (290°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 354 ft | 09:53 UTC |
| CKF Cordele, GA | 117 nm out, 8 nm west of the line | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 5,000 feet, a broken layer at 8,000 feet, a broken layer at 10,000 feet Weather: nearby thunderstorms | calm | 10+ mi | 5,000 ft | 309 ft | 22:30 UTC |
| TMA Tifton, GA | 157 nm out, 6 nm northwest of the line | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 354 ft | 10:35 UTC |
| VLD Valdosta, GA | 196 nm out, 6 nm west of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 203 ft | 09:53 UTC |
| LCQ Lake City, FL | 235 nm out, 20 nm east of the line, tower | VFR | from the west-northwest (300°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 200 ft | 10:35 UTC |
| OCF Ocala, FL | 303 nm out, 20 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the north-northwest (330°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 90 ft | 09:51 UTC |
| BKV Brooksville, FL | 343 nm out, 6 nm northwest of the line, tower | marginal VFR Weather: mist | from the north-northwest (340°) at 3 knots | 4 mi | none | 76 ft | 10:41 UTC |
| LAL Lakeland, FL | 372 nm out, 11 nm east of the line, tower | VFR Sky: overcast at 17,000 feet | calm | 8 mi | 17,000 ft | 141 ft | 08:50 UTC |
| PGD Punta Gorda, FL | 431 nm out, 7 nm southwest of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 1,800 feet | from the north (010°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 25 ft | 09:53 UTC |
| RSW Fort Myers, FL | destination | marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,100 feet | from the north-northeast (020°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | 1,100 ft | 29 ft | 6:29 am EDT (10:29 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 998 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At RSW when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 9:55 am EDT (13:55 UTC)
Wind from the north-northeast at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for RSW
- From Mon 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 6 knots, visibility 5 miles, mist, scattered clouds at 200 feet, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- At times between Mon 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC) and 7:00 am EDT (11:00 UTC): visibility 2 miles, mist, a broken layer at 200 feet
- From Mon 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 3:00 pm EDT (19:00 UTC): wind from the north at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 9:00 pm EDT (01:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for PDK, the departure
- From Mon 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 7:00 pm EDT (23:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/6783 Perry, GA, Friday, October 9, 2026 through Monday, October 19, 2026 UTC 2 nm from the route, 88 nm along the route · drones kept away from a public gathering · until 19 October · ZTL
Daylight
Sunset at PDK 7:07 pm EDT (23:07 UTC), at RSW 7:02 pm EDT (23:02 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:25 pm EDT (23:25 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: Dekalb-Peachtree Airport, Southwest Florida International.