The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 2:46 am EDT (06:46 UTC)

St. Pete-Clearwater International to Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport PIE → DCA

715 nautical miles (823 statute miles) north on a straight line, true course 022°, about 027° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 57 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 61-knot tailwind), arriving about 6:43 am EDT (10:43 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: 1 flights in the DOT's last twelve reported months, the route's page.

The return flight

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

  • SIGMET E22E: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 40,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 3:55 am EDT (07:55 UTC). Over the last 30 nm of the route.
    as issued
    WSUS31 KKCI 120555
    MKCE WST 120555
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 22E
    VALID UNTIL 0755Z
    NY NJ PA DE MD VA DC WV AND MA RI DE NJ NY CSTL WTRS
    FROM 40E HTO-80SSW ACK-100ESE SIE-30SW CSN-40SSE JST-40E HTO
    AREA EMBD TS MOV FROM 24020KT. TOPS TO FL400.
  • AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the last 179 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 10,000 ft. Near the route, 536 nm along the route.
  • 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 109 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 PIE.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

Not fetched just now.

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 7 forecast points nearest it (PIE, JAX, SAV, CHS, FLO, RDU, RIC). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
3,500 ft290° at 19 kt−3 kt123 kt5 h 49 min8:35 am EDT (12:35 UTC)
5,500 ft290° at 17 kt0120 kt5 h 58 min8:44 am EDT (12:44 UTC)
7,500 ft290° at 18 kt012 °C120 kt5 h 58 min8:44 am EDT (12:44 UTC)
9,500 ft290° at 21 kt−2 kt9 °C122 kt5 h 52 min8:38 am EDT (12:38 UTC)
11,500 ft280° at 23 kt−6 kt7 °C126 kt5 h 40 min8:26 am EDT (12:26 UTC)
13,500 ft270° at 26 kt−11 kt3 °C131 kt5 h 27 min8:13 am EDT (12:13 UTC)
15,500 ft260° at 29 kt−16 kt-1 °C136 kt5 h 15 min8:01 am EDT (12:01 UTC)
17,500 ft250° at 34 kt−22 kt-5 °C142 kt5 h 02 min7:48 am EDT (11:48 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180250° at 35 kt−23 kt-6 °C143 kt5 h7:46 am EDT (11:46 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240240° at 42 kt−32 kt-17 °C152 kt4 h 42 min7:28 am EDT (11:28 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300230° at 57 kt−51 kt-31 °C171 kt4 h 11 min6:57 am EDT (10:57 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340230° at 67 kt−61 kt-40 °C181 kt3 h 57 min6:43 am EDT (10:43 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390230° at 54 kt−48 kt-51 °C168 kt4 h 15 min7:01 am EDT (11:01 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
PIEused from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line350/6L/V 18°290/6 14°280/9 9°250/18 -6°250/23 -17°240/30 -31°220/31 -41°220/30 -52°
JAXused from 99 nm out; 41 nm from the line290/14300/16 17°280/22 14°280/24 8°250/32 -6°250/37 -17°230/50 -31°220/52 -41°220/51 -52°
SAVused from 199 nm out; 47 nm from the line280/23300/22 14°290/27 11°270/31 6°260/36 -5°260/38 -17°240/49 -32°230/68 -40°230/59 -51°
CHSused from 298 nm out; 14 nm from the line280/21270/23 12°280/28 11°260/35 6°250/41 -5°250/45 -16°230/59 -32°220/74 -40°230/67 -52°
FLOused from 348 nm out; 34 nm from the line300/16320/14 12°320/19 7°290/26 5°260/39 -6°250/45 -18°230/62 -32°230/83 -40°230/64 -51°
RDUused from 447 nm out; 46 nm from the line280/33300/23 11°300/28 8°290/28 4°260/41 -6°240/52 -18°230/66 -31°230/76 -39°240/52 -49°
RICused from 596 nm out; 27 nm from the line270/23280/19 11°270/18 8°240/22 4°230/39 -7°220/55 -18°220/75 -30°230/83 -39°230/64 -50°

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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
PIE St Petersburg-Clearwater, FL departure no report just now 10 ft
BKV Brooksville, FL 40 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line, tower no report just now 76 ft
OCF Ocala, FL 79 nm out, 6 nm west of the line, tower no report just now 90 ft
CRG Jacksonville, FL 159 nm out, 2 nm southeast of the line, tower no report just now 40 ft
HXD Hilton Head Island, SC 278 nm out, 3 nm northwest of the line, tower no report just now 19 ft
CHS Charleston, SC 328 nm out, 12 nm east of the line, tower no report just now 46 ft
FLO Florence, SC 407 nm out, 4 nm west of the line, tower no report just now 146 ft
FAY Fayetteville, NC 467 nm out, 15 nm east of the line, tower no report just now 189 ft
RDU Raleigh/Durham, NC 516 nm out, 3 nm northwest of the line, tower no report just now 435 ft
BKT Blackstone, VA 596 nm out, 7 nm east of the line, tower no report just now 437 ft
HEF Washington, DC 695 nm out, 17 nm northwest of the line, tower no report just now 192 ft
DCA Washington, DC destination no report just now 14 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 437 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At DCA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:43 am EDT (10:43 UTC)

DCA has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.

Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it

  • 6/8389 Jacksonville, FL, Thursday, October 15, 2026 through Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC on the route, 149 nm along the route · air shows/sports · starts Thursday 15 October · ZJX
  • 6/8902 MAYPORT, FL, Tuesday, October 13, 2026 through Saturday, October 17, 2026 Local 4 nm from the route, 159 nm along the route · security · starts tomorrow · ZJX
  • 6/8713 Maxton, NC, Friday, October 16, 2026 through Sunday, October 18, 2026 UTC on the route, 447 nm along the route · air shows/sports · starts Friday 16 October · ZDC
  • 4/9383 WASHINGTON, DC., USA on the route, at the destination end · security · ZDC
  • 6/8600 Sterling, VA, Monday, October 12, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 13 nm from the route, at the destination end · a VIP movement · today · ZDC

Daylight

Sunset at PIE 7:04 pm EDT (23:04 UTC), at DCA 6:34 pm EDT (22:34 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:01 pm EDT (23:01 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at DCA is before sunrise there (7:14 am EDT (11:14 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

Radar now, the Southeast
Radar now, the Southeast · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the Northeast
Radar now, the Northeast · loop National Weather Service
Radar, the whole country
Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service
Surface analysis now
Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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: St. Pete-Clearwater International, Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl Airport.