Chicago/Rockford International to Austin-Bergstrom International RFD → AUS
831 nautical miles (956 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 213°, about 216° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 6 h 45 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 3-knot tailwind), arriving about 2:35 am CDT (07:35 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 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
No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.
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 RFD.
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 7 forecast points nearest it (JOT, BRL, COU, SGF, FSM, DAL, 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 | 200° at 18 kt | +18 kt | 102 kt | 8 h 09 min | 3:59 am CDT (08:59 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 220° at 19 kt | +19 kt | 15 °C | 101 kt | 8 h 14 min | 4:04 am CDT (09:04 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 230° at 21 kt | +20 kt | 12 °C | 100 kt | 8 h 19 min | 4:09 am CDT (09:09 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 240° at 21 kt | +18 kt | 9 °C | 102 kt | 8 h 09 min | 3:59 am CDT (08:59 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 250° at 19 kt | +15 kt | 6 °C | 105 kt | 7 h 55 min | 3:45 am CDT (08:45 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 260° at 19 kt | +13 kt | 2 °C | 107 kt | 7 h 46 min | 3:36 am CDT (08:36 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 260° at 19 kt | +11 kt | -3 °C | 109 kt | 7 h 37 min | 3:27 am CDT (08:27 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 19 kt | +10 kt | -6 °C | 110 kt | 7 h 33 min | 3:23 am CDT (08:23 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 20 kt | +8 kt | -17 °C | 112 kt | 7 h 25 min | 3:15 am CDT (08:15 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 300° at 35 kt | +3 kt | -31 °C | 117 kt | 7 h 06 min | 2:56 am CDT (07:56 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 300° at 39 kt | +1 kt | -41 °C | 119 kt | 6 h 59 min | 2:49 am CDT (07:49 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 300° at 47 kt | −3 kt | -52 °C | 123 kt | 6 h 45 min | 2:35 am CDT (07:35 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOT | used from 0 nm out; 58 nm from the line | 230/11 | 290/12 16° | 300/19 10° | 320/19 4° | 300/17 -9° | 330/31 -20° | 320/49 -37° | 320/53 -45° | 320/67 -49° |
| BRL | used from 49 nm out; 56 nm from the line | 200/20 | 250/21 16° | 240/22 10° | 260/20 5° | 270/16 -7° | 290/22 -18° | 320/41 -34° | 320/56 -43° | 310/68 -53° |
| COU | used from 198 nm out; 29 nm from the line | 210/16 | 220/19 15° | 240/33 10° | 250/29 7° | 280/21 -6° | 280/19 -18° | 300/34 -31° | 300/40 -42° | 300/60 -52° |
| SGF | used from 297 nm out; 39 nm from the line | 210/21 | 210/21 16° | 240/28 12° | 260/24 7° | 280/21 -6° | 280/26 -18° | 290/38 -31° | 290/37 -41° | 300/49 -52° |
| FSM | used from 396 nm out; 60 nm from the line | 200/18 | 210/19 15° | 230/22 13° | 250/18 7° | 270/20 -5° | 280/24 -16° | 280/35 -30° | 290/37 -40° | 300/40 -52° |
| DAL | used from 593 nm out; 64 nm from the line | 180/21 | 190/24 15° | 230/20 12° | 220/23 8° | 240/22 -5° | 230/18 -15° | 280/33 -29° | 280/36 -39° | 300/33 -52° |
| CLL | used from 742 nm out; 50 nm from the line | 160/18 | 190/18 16° | 200/19 12° | 220/14 7° | 260/18 -5° | 250/20 -13° | 290/29 -29° | 290/31 -40° | 300/22 -53° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFD Chicago/Rockford, IL | departure | no report just now | 742 ft | ||||
| EZI Kewanee, IL | 69 nm out, 2 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 858 ft | ||||
| MQB Macomb, IL | 119 nm out, 7 nm west of the line | no report just now | 705 ft | ||||
| COU Columbia, MO | 247 nm out, 15 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 889 ft | ||||
| JEF Jefferson City, MO | 257 nm out, 6 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 549 ft | ||||
| BBG Branson, MO | 386 nm out, 14 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,302 ft | ||||
| FSM Fort Smith, AR | 485 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 469 ft | ||||
| RKR Poteau, OK | 504 nm out, 3 nm north of the line | no report just now | 450 ft | ||||
| GVT Greenville, TX | 643 nm out, 9 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 534 ft | ||||
| CNW Waco, TX | 742 nm out, 13 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 470 ft | ||||
| GTU Georgetown, TX | 801 nm out, 14 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 789 ft | ||||
| AUS Austin, TX | destination | no report just now | 541 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,302 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At AUS when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:35 am CDT (07:35 UTC)
AUS has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/7634 CENTRALIA, MO, Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 21 nm from the route, 227 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · today · ZKC
- 6/0543 MCGREGOR, TX 22 nm from the route, 761 nm along the route · security · ZFW
- 6/5849 Austin, TX, Friday, October 2, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 6 nm from the route, at the destination end · drones kept away from a public gathering · until 12 October · ZHU
Daylight
Sunset at RFD 6:19 pm CDT (23:19 UTC), at AUS 7:03 pm CDT (00:03 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:27 pm CDT (00:27 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at AUS is before sunrise there (7:30 am CDT (12:30 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: Chicago/Rockford International, Austin-Bergstrom International.