Punta Gorda Airport to Robert Gray Army Airfield PGD → GRK
867 nautical miles (998 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 290°, about 296° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6W). At 120 knots that is 7 h at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 4-knot tailwind), arriving about 4:37 am CDT (09:37 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now PGD is VFR, wind from the north-northeast (030°) at 3 knots; GRK is VFR, wind from the southeast (140°) at 6 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 6W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 28,000 ft to 40,000 ft. Over the route from 219 to 299 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 PGD.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- B789 at 27,000 ft, 19 nm southwest, 8:30 pm EDT (00:30 UTC): moderate clear-air turbulence, remarks: zhu. 598 nm along the route, 19 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
LFT UA /OV LLA270030/TM 0030/FL270/TP B789/TB MOD CAT/RM ZHU
- Report
- a routine report filed through LFT
- Where
- 30 nm west (270°) of LLA
- Time
- 00:30 UTC
- Height
- at 27,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B789
- Turbulence
- moderate clear-air turbulence
- Remarks
- zhu
- B38M at 31,000 ft, 19 nm south, 8:49 pm EDT (00:49 UTC): light chop turbulence above 31,000 ft. 140 nm along the route, 19 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
SRQ UA /OV SRQ275105/TM 0049/FL310/TP B38M/TB LGT CHOP 310
- Report
- a routine report filed through SRQ
- Where
- 105 nm west (275°) of SRQ
- Time
- 00:49 UTC
- Height
- at 31,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B38M
- Turbulence
- light chop at 31,000 ft
- E170 at 34,000 ft, 10 nm south, 7:58 pm EDT (23:58 UTC): light turbulence. 140 nm along the route, 10 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
SRQ UA /OV SRQ280100/TM 2358/FL340/TP E170/TB OCNL LGT
- Report
- a routine report filed through SRQ
- Where
- 100 nm west (280°) of SRQ
- Time
- 23:58 UTC
- Height
- at 34,000 ft
- Aircraft
- E170
- Turbulence
- occasional light
- E75L at 27,000 ft, 5 nm northeast, 8:20 pm EDT (00:20 UTC): remarks: zhu. 618 nm along the route, 5 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
LCH UA /OV LCH08510/TM 0020/FL270/TP E75L/TB CONS CHOP/RM ZHU
- Report
- a routine report filed through LCH
- Where
- LCH08510
- Time
- 00:20 UTC
- Height
- at 27,000 ft
- Aircraft
- E75L
- Turbulence
- continuous chop
- Remarks
- zhu
- B39M at 27,000 ft, 35 nm south, 8:42 pm EDT (00:42 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: zhu. 728 nm along the route, 35 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
IAH UA /OV IH340035/TM 0042/FL270/TP B39M/TB LT CHOP DURC/RM ZHU
- Report
- a routine report filed through IAH
- Where
- IH340035
- Time
- 00:42 UTC
- Height
- at 27,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B39M
- Turbulence
- lt chop during the climb
- Remarks
- zhu
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 7 forecast points nearest it (PIE, TLH, MOB, MSY, LCH, HOU, CLL). 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 | 160° at 6 kt | −4 kt | 124 kt | 7 h | 4:37 am CDT (09:37 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 160° at 6 kt | −3 kt | 17 °C | 123 kt | 7 h 03 min | 4:40 am CDT (09:40 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 210° at 4 kt | +1 kt | 14 °C | 119 kt | 7 h 17 min | 4:54 am CDT (09:54 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 260° at 5 kt | +5 kt | 11 °C | 115 kt | 7 h 32 min | 5:09 am CDT (10:09 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 280° at 8 kt | +8 kt | 7 °C | 112 kt | 7 h 44 min | 5:21 am CDT (10:21 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 280° at 9 kt | +9 kt | 3 °C | 111 kt | 7 h 49 min | 5:26 am CDT (10:26 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 280° at 11 kt | +11 kt | -2 °C | 109 kt | 7 h 57 min | 5:34 am CDT (10:34 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 280° at 13 kt | +13 kt | -5 °C | 107 kt | 8 h 06 min | 5:43 am CDT (10:43 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 18 kt | +18 kt | -15 °C | 102 kt | 8 h 30 min | 6:07 am CDT (11:07 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 300° at 26 kt | +24 kt | -31 °C | 96 kt | 9 h 02 min | 6:39 am CDT (11:39 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 310° at 24 kt | +22 kt | -41 °C | 98 kt | 8 h 51 min | 6:28 am CDT (11:28 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 330° at 25 kt | +19 kt | -52 °C | 101 kt | 8 h 35 min | 6:12 am CDT (11:12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIE | used from 0 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 350/6 | L/V 18° | 290/6 14° | 280/9 9° | 250/18 -6° | 250/23 -17° | 240/30 -31° | 220/31 -41° | 220/30 -52° |
| TLH | used from 199 nm out; 158 nm from the line | 320/18 | 350/31 18° | 340/24 13° | 310/17 8° | 280/22 -7° | 300/25 -17° | 320/28 -33° | 320/24 -41° | 320/25 -50° |
| MOB | used from 249 nm out; 154 nm from the line | 330/5 | 330/6 19° | 340/6 11° | 330/10 7° | 320/16 -5° | 310/26 -16° | 340/40 -32° | 340/47 -42° | 350/51 -52° |
| MSY | used from 349 nm out; 105 nm from the line | 110/5 | 150/6 19° | L/V 12° | 310/5 7° | 310/13 -4° | 290/20 -16° | 330/36 -31° | 330/37 -41° | 350/43 -52° |
| LCH | used from 548 nm out; 50 nm from the line | 160/21 | 160/18 18° | 180/13 12° | 230/6 8° | 280/10 -4° | 260/13 -14° | 310/29 -30° | 320/32 -40° | 330/33 -53° |
| HOU | used from 698 nm out; 53 nm from the line | 160/22 | 150/27 19° | 180/16 14° | 250/7 9° | 270/10 -5° | 270/16 -13° | 310/23 -29° | 310/26 -40° | 330/20 -52° |
| CLL | used from 748 nm out; 18 nm from the line | 170/22 | 170/26 18° | 200/15 14° | 240/13 8° | 240/15 -5° | 260/17 -13° | 290/27 -29° | 290/22 -40° | 320/30 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PGD Punta Gorda, FL | departure | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 8,500 feet | from the north-northeast (030°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 25 ft | 9:53 pm EDT (01:53 UTC) |
| SRQ Sarasota/Bradenton, FL | 40 nm out, 16 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the north (360°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 29 ft | 01:53 UTC |
| HUM Houma, LA | 488 nm out, 7 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 7 mi | none | 8 ft | 23:47 UTC |
| ARA New Iberia, LA | 558 nm out, 16 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 24 ft | 01:53 UTC |
| LCH Lake Charles, LA | 618 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southeast (160°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 14 ft | 01:53 UTC |
| CXO Houston, TX | 738 nm out, 13 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the southeast (130°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 244 ft | 01:53 UTC |
| CLL College Station, TX | 788 nm out, 11 nm south of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southeast (150°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | none | 320 ft | 01:53 UTC |
| GRK Fort Hood (Killeen), TX | destination | VFR | from the southeast (140°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,015 ft | 8:55 pm CDT (01:55 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,015 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At GRK when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 4:37 am CDT (09:37 UTC)
Wind from the south-southeast at 9 knots, scattered clouds at 6,000 feet
The whole forecast for GRK
- From Sun 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 9 knots, scattered clouds at 6,000 feet
- Changing between Mon 3:00 am CDT (08:00 UTC) and 4:00 am CDT (09:00 UTC) to: wind from the southeast at 6 knots, a broken layer at 1,500 feet
- Changing between Mon 4:00 pm CDT (21:00 UTC) and 5:00 pm CDT (22:00 UTC) to: wind from the south-southeast at 12 knots, a broken layer at 5,000 feet
- Changing between Mon 10:00 pm CDT (03:00 UTC) and 11:00 pm CDT (04:00 UTC) to: wind from the south-southeast at 9 knots, a broken layer at 1,500 feet
The forecast for PGD, the departure
- From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the east-northeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 3,000 feet, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- From Sun 11:00 pm EDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the north at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the north-northeast at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/0543 MCGREGOR, TX 23 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · ZFW
Daylight
Sunset at PGD 7:02 pm EDT (23:02 UTC), at GRK 7:03 pm CDT (00:03 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:27 pm CDT (00:27 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at GRK is before sunrise there (7:31 am CDT (12:31 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: Punta Gorda Airport, Robert Gray Army Airfield.