Plan a flight · Mon 1:31 am CDT (06:31 UTC)

Chicago/Rockford International to Rickenbacker International RFD → LCK

314 nautical miles (361 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 115°, about 118° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 1 h 48 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 54-knot tailwind), arriving about 4:19 am EDT (08:19 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now RFD is VFR, wind calm; LCK is marginal VFR, wind from the northwest (310°) at 5 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: 6 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 3E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the last 226 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

LJ45 at 10,000 ft, 20 nm northeast, 11:31 pm CDT (04:31 UTC): no turbulence, clear, remarks: ground fog at fwa FV10SM on final runway 14. 167 nm along the route, 20 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
FWA UA /OV OLK/TM 0431/FL100/TP LJ45/SK CLR/TB SMOOTH/RM GROUND FOG AT FWA. FV10SM ON FINAL RY 14
```
Report
a routine report filed through FWA
Where
over OLK
Time
04:31 UTC
Height
at 10,000 ft
Aircraft
LJ45
Sky
clear
Turbulence
smooth
Remarks
ground fog at fwa FV10SM on final runway 14
MD83 climbing, 0 nm northeast, 12:04 am CDT (05:04 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. At the destination end, 0 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
CMH UA /OV LCK/TM 0504/FLDURC/TP MD83/SK B010 T037
```
Report
a routine report filed through CMH
Where
over LCK
Time
05:04 UTC
Height
during the climb
Aircraft
MD83
Sky
B010 T037

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 3 forecast points nearest it (JOT, FWA, CMH). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

Height	Average wind	Head- or tailwind	Temperature	Ground speed	Time en route	Arrival
3,500 ft	290° at 16 kt	−16 kt		136 kt	2 h 19 min	4:50 am EDT (08:50 UTC)
5,500 ft	310° at 18 kt	−18 kt		138 kt	2 h 17 min	4:48 am EDT (08:48 UTC)
7,500 ft	310° at 17 kt	−17 kt	12 °C	137 kt	2 h 18 min	4:49 am EDT (08:49 UTC)
9,500 ft	320° at 15 kt	−15 kt	9 °C	135 kt	2 h 20 min	4:51 am EDT (08:51 UTC)
11,500 ft	320° at 13 kt	−11 kt	5 °C	131 kt	2 h 24 min	4:55 am EDT (08:55 UTC)
13,500 ft	320° at 15 kt	−14 kt	1 °C	134 kt	2 h 21 min	4:52 am EDT (08:52 UTC)
15,500 ft	310° at 20 kt	−19 kt	-3 °C	139 kt	2 h 16 min	4:47 am EDT (08:47 UTC)
17,500 ft	310° at 24 kt	−24 kt	-7 °C	144 kt	2 h 11 min	4:42 am EDT (08:42 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	310° at 25 kt	−25 kt	-8 °C	145 kt	2 h 10 min	4:41 am EDT (08:41 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	320° at 34 kt	−33 kt	-20 °C	153 kt	2 h 03 min	4:34 am EDT (08:34 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	330° at 45 kt	−39 kt	-36 °C	159 kt	1 h 58 min	4:29 am EDT (08:29 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	320° at 59 kt	−54 kt	-43 °C	174 kt	1 h 48 min	4:19 am EDT (08:19 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	320° at 58 kt	−53 kt	-50 °C	173 kt	1 h 49 min	4:20 am EDT (08:20 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
JOT	used from 0 nm out; 36 nm from the line	250/23	270/22 15°	250/16 10°	240/9 4°	280/22 -7°	280/29 -19°	300/29 -34°	290/50 -43°	300/64 -52°
FWA	used from 98 nm out; 68 nm from the line	300/17	320/20 16°	330/20 10°	340/15 3°	310/27 -8°	320/37 -20°	330/52 -36°	330/65 -43°	330/60 -50°
CMH	used from 245 nm out; 42 nm from the line	330/15	340/22 14°	340/24 9°	340/23 4°	340/35 -9°	340/49 -20°	340/58 -37°	330/70 -42°	340/55 -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
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)
DPA Chicago/West Chicago, IL	39 nm out, 2 nm east of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (180°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	none	758 ft	05:52 UTC
GYY Gary/Chicago, IN	78 nm out, 4 nm east of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (190°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	596 ft	06:15 UTC
OXI Knox, IN	118 nm out, 3 nm east of the line	marginal VFR Weather: mist	from the south-southeast (150°) at 5 knots	5 mi	none	685 ft	06:15 UTC
RCR Rochester, IN	147 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line	VFR	from the south-southeast (150°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	789 ft	06:15 UTC
FWA Fort Wayne, IN	186 nm out, 13 nm northeast of the line, tower	marginal VFR Weather: mist, shallow fog	from the south (180°) at 4 knots	5 mi	none	814 ft	05:54 UTC
DAY Dayton, OH	255 nm out, 24 nm south of the line, tower	marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,200 feet	from the west-northwest (290°) at 7 knots	10+ mi	1,200 ft	1,009 ft	05:56 UTC
UYF London, OH	284 nm out, 7 nm south of the line	IFR Sky: overcast at 900 feet	from the northwest (310°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	900 ft	1,081 ft	06:15 UTC
LCK Columbus, OH	destination	marginal VFR Sky: overcast at 1,200 feet	from the northwest (310°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	1,200 ft	743 ft	1:55 am EDT (05:55 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,081 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At LCK when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 4:19 am EDT (08:19 UTC)

Wind from the west at 4 knots, visibility 4 miles, mist, overcast at 800 feet IFR

The whole forecast for LCK

From Mon 2:00 am EDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, overcast at 1,200 feet
From Mon 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the west at 4 knots, visibility 4 miles, mist, overcast at 800 feet
At times between Mon 6:00 am EDT (10:00 UTC) and 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): visibility 2 miles, mist, scattered clouds at 800 feet
From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 10,000 feet, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet

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

No temporary flight restriction on or near this route right now.

Daylight

Sunset at RFD 6:19 pm CDT (23:19 UTC), at LCK 6:57 pm EDT (22:57 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:24 pm EDT (23:24 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at LCK is before sunrise there (7:38 am EDT (11:38 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 · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service

Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service

Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center

Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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, Rickenbacker International.