The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 12:58 am CDT (05:58 UTC)

Chicago/Rockford International to Nashville International RFD → BNA

381 nautical miles (439 statute miles) south on a straight line, true course 162°, about 165° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 2 h 15 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 49-knot tailwind), arriving about 3:13 am CDT (08:13 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now RFD is VFR, wind calm; BNA is VFR, wind calm. 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: 92 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

  • 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 147 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 RFD.

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

  • B38M at 29,000 ft, 11 nm northeast, 11:52 pm CDT (04:52 UTC): no turbulence from 23,000 ft to 29,000 ft. 108 nm along the route, 11 nm northeast of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    TIP UA /OV RBS/TM 0452/FL290/TP B38M/TB NEG 230-290
    Report
    a routine report filed through TIP
    Where
    over RBS
    Time
    04:52 UTC
    Height
    at 29,000 ft
    Aircraft
    B38M
    Turbulence
    no from 23,000 ft to 29,000 ft

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 5 forecast points nearest it (JOT, SPI, IND, EVV, BNA). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
3,500 ft270° at 16 kt−5 kt125 kt3 h 03 min4:01 am CDT (09:01 UTC)
5,500 ft280° at 16 kt−8 kt128 kt2 h 59 min3:57 am CDT (08:57 UTC)
7,500 ft290° at 16 kt−9 kt13 °C129 kt2 h 57 min3:55 am CDT (08:55 UTC)
9,500 ft290° at 15 kt−10 kt9 °C130 kt2 h 56 min3:54 am CDT (08:54 UTC)
11,500 ft300° at 11 kt−9 kt5 °C129 kt2 h 57 min3:55 am CDT (08:55 UTC)
13,500 ft300° at 13 kt−10 kt2 °C130 kt2 h 56 min3:54 am CDT (08:54 UTC)
15,500 ft300° at 17 kt−13 kt-2 °C133 kt2 h 52 min3:50 am CDT (08:50 UTC)
17,500 ft300° at 21 kt−15 kt-6 °C135 kt2 h 49 min3:47 am CDT (08:47 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180300° at 22 kt−16 kt-7 °C136 kt2 h 48 min3:46 am CDT (08:46 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240300° at 26 kt−21 kt-19 °C141 kt2 h 42 min3:40 am CDT (08:40 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300310° at 35 kt−31 kt-33 °C151 kt2 h 31 min3:29 am CDT (08:29 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340310° at 53 kt−43 kt-42 °C163 kt2 h 20 min3:18 am CDT (08:18 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390310° at 56 kt−49 kt-51 °C169 kt2 h 15 min3:13 am CDT (08:13 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
JOTused from 0 nm out; 38 nm from the line250/23270/22 15°250/16 10°240/9 4°280/22 -7°280/29 -19°300/29 -34°290/50 -43°300/64 -52°
SPIused from 98 nm out; 69 nm from the line220/21250/23 16°260/27 9°270/14 6°270/23 -7°270/31 -19°270/28 -33°290/48 -42°300/55 -52°
INDused from 147 nm out; 78 nm from the line290/16310/20 16°320/21 10°330/13 3°300/25 -7°320/32 -19°330/46 -34°320/61 -43°320/63 -50°
EVVused from 196 nm out; 40 nm from the line280/15290/12 17°310/16 10°320/13 5°310/22 -6°320/26 -18°320/38 -33°310/56 -41°320/55 -51°
BNAused from 342 nm out; 20 nm from the line310/20340/20 17°330/24 10°340/22 5°330/26 -6°340/29 -18°330/52 -33°320/62 -41°340/45 -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
RFD Chicago/Rockford, IL departure VFR Sky: a broken layer at 25,000 feet calm 10+ mi 25,000 ft 742 ft 12:54 am CDT (05:54 UTC)
ARR Chicago/Aurora, IL 29 nm out, 19 nm east of the line, tower VFR calm 10+ mi none 712 ft 05:52 UTC
PNT Pontiac, IL 78 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line VFR from the south (170°) at 3 knots 10+ mi none 666 ft 05:35 UTC
BMI Bloomington/Normal, IL 98 nm out, 24 nm southwest of the line, tower VFR from the south (180°) at 7 knots 10+ mi none 871 ft 04:56 UTC
CMI Champaign/Urbana, IL 137 nm out, 5 nm west of the line, tower VFR from the south-southwest (200°) at 6 knots 10+ mi none 754 ft 05:53 UTC
RSV Robinson, IL 205 nm out, 7 nm northeast of the line VFR from the west (260°) at 1 knots 10+ mi none 461 ft 05:35 UTC
LWV Lawrenceville, IL 215 nm out, 4 nm east of the line VFR calm 10+ mi none 429 ft 05:53 UTC
OWB Owensboro, KY 284 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line, tower marginal VFR Weather: mist calm 4 mi none 407 ft 04:56 UTC
JQD Hartford, KY 303 nm out, 15 nm east of the line no report just now 537 ft
BNA Nashville, TN destination VFR calm 9 mi none 599 ft 12:53 am CDT (05:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 871 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At BNA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 3:13 am CDT (08:13 UTC)

Wind from the south at 4 knots, visibility 6 miles, mist, clear skies VFR

The whole forecast for BNA
  • From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 4 knots, visibility 6 miles, mist, clear skies
  • From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south at 2 knots, visibility 5 miles, mist, scattered clouds at 300 feet
  • From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 20,000 feet
  • From Mon 8:00 pm CDT (01:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for RFD, the departure
  • From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 13 knots, gusting to 23, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 6:00 pm CDT (23:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 12,000 feet

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

  • 6/0708 Goodlettsville, TN, Saturday, August 1, 2026 through Sunday, August 1, 2027 UTC 4 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · until 1 August · ZME

Daylight

Sunset at RFD 6:19 pm CDT (23:19 UTC), at BNA 6:15 pm CDT (23:15 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:40 pm CDT (23:40 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at BNA is before sunrise there (6:50 am CDT (11:50 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 upper Mississippi valley
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the central Great Lakes
Radar now, the central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley
Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley · 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: Chicago/Rockford International, Nashville International.