St. Pete-Clearwater International to Blue Grass Airport PIE → LEX
616 nautical miles (709 statute miles) north on a straight line, true course 351°, about 356° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5W). At 120 knots that is 4 h 49 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 8-knot tailwind), arriving about 1:09 am EDT (05:09 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: 347 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 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 367 to 556 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 7,000 ft. Over the route from 397 to 427 nm out.
- 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 199 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 20:00–03:00 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 6 forecast points nearest it (PIE, TLH, CSG, ATL, TYS, LOU). 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 | 310° at 20 kt | +16 kt | 104 kt | 5 h 55 min | 2:15 am EDT (06:15 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 320° at 24 kt | +21 kt | 14 °C | 99 kt | 6 h 13 min | 2:33 am EDT (06:33 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 320° at 26 kt | +22 kt | 11 °C | 98 kt | 6 h 17 min | 2:37 am EDT (06:37 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 320° at 27 kt | +23 kt | 8 °C | 97 kt | 6 h 21 min | 2:41 am EDT (06:41 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 320° at 29 kt | +23 kt | 5 °C | 97 kt | 6 h 21 min | 2:41 am EDT (06:41 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 310° at 28 kt | +21 kt | 1 °C | 99 kt | 6 h 13 min | 2:33 am EDT (06:33 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 300° at 27 kt | +18 kt | -3 °C | 102 kt | 6 h 02 min | 2:22 am EDT (06:22 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 300° at 26 kt | +16 kt | -7 °C | 104 kt | 5 h 55 min | 2:15 am EDT (06:15 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 29 kt | +10 kt | -18 °C | 110 kt | 5 h 36 min | 1:56 am EDT (05:56 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 270° at 28 kt | +3 kt | -33 °C | 117 kt | 5 h 16 min | 1:36 am EDT (05:36 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 250° at 30 kt | −6 kt | -40 °C | 126 kt | 4 h 53 min | 1:13 am EDT (05:13 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 240° at 26 kt | −8 kt | -50 °C | 128 kt | 4 h 49 min | 1:09 am EDT (05:09 UTC) |
Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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; 25 nm from the line | 310/7 | 270/12 17° | 270/14 13° | 260/14 8° | 240/22 -5° | 230/24 -16° | 220/26 -31° | 200/31 -41° | 180/33 -53° |
| TLH | used from 99 nm out; 73 nm from the line | 300/17 | 340/32 17° | 320/27 13° | 300/27 8° | 280/23 -7° | 250/37 -17° | 230/44 -33° | 220/53 -41° | 220/48 -51° |
| CSG | used from 248 nm out; 74 nm from the line | 300/20 | 330/41 15° | 320/42 11° | 320/41 7° | 300/33 -6° | 290/33 -18° | 270/32 -34° | 260/31 -41° | 260/24 -51° |
| ATL | used from 298 nm out; 47 nm from the line | 300/23 | 320/26 14° | 320/34 10° | 320/41 5° | 290/32 -6° | 290/31 -18° | 280/28 -33° | 260/32 -41° | 250/28 -50° |
| TYS | used from 397 nm out; 57 nm from the line | 290/19 | 310/22 11° | 330/25 7° | 330/34 3° | 320/37 -7° | 300/37 -18° | 300/37 -34° | 280/29 -39° | 270/29 -48° |
| LOU | used from 546 nm out; 80 nm from the line | 320/15 | 340/24 14° | 330/28 9° | 340/34 4° | 340/37 -9° | 340/42 -20° | 320/39 -35° | 320/45 -39° | 330/40 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIE St Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | departure | no report just now | 10 ft | ||||
| BKV Brooksville, FL | 30 nm out, 17 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 76 ft | ||||
| CTY Cross City, FL | 109 nm out, 7 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 42 ft | ||||
| VLD Valdosta, GA | 179 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 203 ft | ||||
| FZG Fitzgerald, GA | 228 nm out, 4 nm east of the line | no report just now | 364 ft | ||||
| MCN Macon, GA | 288 nm out, 7 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 354 ft | ||||
| LZU Lawrenceville, GA | 367 nm out, 9 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,061 ft | ||||
| GVL Gainesville, GA | 387 nm out, 1 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 1,276 ft | ||||
| TYS Knoxville, TN | 477 nm out, 8 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 986 ft | ||||
| JAU Jacksboro, TN | 506 nm out, 6 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 1,179 ft | ||||
| SME Somerset, KY | 556 nm out, 10 nm west of the line | no report just now | 927 ft | ||||
| LEX Lexington, KY | destination | no report just now | 979 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,276 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At LEX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:09 am EDT (05:09 UTC)
LEX has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8792 Lake City, FL, Sunday, October 11, 2026 through Sunday, October 11, 2026 Local on the route, 149 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · ended 11 October · ZJX
- 6/6783 Perry, GA, Friday, October 9, 2026 through Monday, October 19, 2026 UTC 12 nm from the route, 278 nm along the route · drones kept away from a public gathering · until 19 October · ZTL
Daylight
Sunset at PIE 7:04 pm EDT (23:04 UTC), at LEX 7:05 pm EDT (23:05 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:31 pm EDT (23:31 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at LEX is before sunrise there (7:43 am EDT (11:43 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: St. Pete-Clearwater International, Blue Grass Airport.