Chicago/Rockford International to Phoenix Sky Harbor International RFD → PHX
1,202 nautical miles (1,384 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 252°, about 255° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 12 h 24 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 23-knot headwind), arriving about 6:33 am MST (13:33 UTC). 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: 797 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 TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the route from 745 to 1163 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 35,000 ft to 45,000 ft. Near the route, 964 nm along the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 964 to 1163 nm out.
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 12 forecast points nearest it (DBQ, BRL, DSM, OMA, SLN, GCK, PUB, ALS, ABQ, FMN, PRC, PHX). 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 | 210° at 29 kt | +23 kt | 21 °C | 97 kt | 12 h 24 min | 6:33 am MST (13:33 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 220° at 28 kt | +26 kt | 17 °C | 94 kt | 12 h 47 min | 6:56 am MST (13:56 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 220° at 26 kt | +25 kt | 13 °C | 95 kt | 12 h 39 min | 6:48 am MST (13:48 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 230° at 26 kt | +25 kt | 8 °C | 95 kt | 12 h 39 min | 6:48 am MST (13:48 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 230° at 26 kt | +26 kt | 4 °C | 94 kt | 12 h 47 min | 6:56 am MST (13:56 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 230° at 28 kt | +28 kt | 0 °C | 92 kt | 13 h 04 min | 7:13 am MST (14:13 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 230° at 31 kt | +31 kt | -4 °C | 89 kt | 13 h 30 min | 7:39 am MST (14:39 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 32 kt | +32 kt | -7 °C | 88 kt | 13 h 40 min | 7:49 am MST (14:49 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 240° at 37 kt | +37 kt | -19 °C | 83 kt | 14 h 29 min | 8:38 am MST (15:38 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 240° at 52 kt | +53 kt | -30 °C | 67 kt | 17 h 56 min | 12:05 pm MST (19:05 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 250° at 54 kt | +55 kt | -38 °C | 65 kt | 18 h 30 min | 12:39 pm MST (19:39 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 260° at 54 kt | +54 kt | -49 °C | 66 kt | 18 h 13 min | 12:22 pm MST (19:22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DBQ | used from 0 nm out; 52 nm from the line | 220/23 | 240/22 16° | 240/24 10° | 260/18 5° | 270/16 -8° | 290/27 -19° | 310/42 -35° | 320/55 -44° | 300/71 -52° |
| BRL | used from 99 nm out; 51 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° |
| DSM | used from 149 nm out; 45 nm from the line | 200/32 | 240/27 17° | 260/19 10° | 260/16 5° | 260/19 -7° | 240/22 -19° | 270/20 -32° | 270/38 -42° | 290/58 -53° |
| OMA | used from 248 nm out; 65 nm from the line | 190/34 | 230/34 19° | 250/25 12° | 250/18 6° | 250/22 -7° | 250/28 -19° | 260/34 -32° | 260/39 -41° | 280/56 -51° |
| SLN | used from 348 nm out; 82 nm from the line | 190/37 | 220/39 20° | 240/31 14° | 250/24 7° | 260/25 -7° | 250/26 -17° | 250/44 -31° | 260/47 -40° | 260/47 -50° |
| GCK | used from 497 nm out; 77 nm from the line | 200/35 21° | 220/34 14° | 240/30 8° | 240/27 -6° | 240/31 -17° | 240/53 -30° | 250/55 -39° | 250/60 -50° | |
| PUB | used from 696 nm out; 69 nm from the line | 210/24 16° | 210/28 8° | 230/43 -8° | 240/42 -21° | 240/77 -30° | 240/72 -36° | 250/51 -47° | ||
| ALS | used from 795 nm out; 52 nm from the line | 210/32 5° | 230/48 -8° | 230/49 -20° | 230/78 -30° | 240/74 -36° | 240/61 -47° | |||
| ABQ | used from 894 nm out; 56 nm from the line | 200/28 13° | 210/28 5° | 210/44 -7° | 230/46 -20° | 230/80 -28° | 240/74 -35° | 240/58 -47° | ||
| FMN | used from 994 nm out; 106 nm from the line | 220/25 13° | 220/28 4° | 210/51 -9° | 220/59 -21° | 230/78 -30° | 230/77 -36° | 230/66 -46° | ||
| PRC | used from 1043 nm out; 133 nm from the line | 200/36 6° | 210/46 0° | 220/60 -10° | 220/75 -19° | 220/66 -26° | 230/70 -33° | 230/59 -45° | ||
| PHX | used from 1093 nm out; 84 nm from the line | 210/19 | 210/20 14° | 200/20 6° | 210/40 1° | 220/58 -8° | 220/68 -20° | 220/82 -26° | 230/83 -34° | 230/69 -46° |
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 | ||||
| CID Cedar Rapids, IA | 119 nm out, 21 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 869 ft | ||||
| CNC Chariton, IA | 209 nm out, 5 nm east of the line | no report just now | 1,050 ft | ||||
| ICL Clarinda, IA | 278 nm out, 10 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 995 ft | ||||
| CNK Concordia, KS | 417 nm out, 8 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,488 ft | ||||
| TQK Scott City, KS | 586 nm out, 4 nm east of the line | no report just now | 2,968 ft | ||||
| LAA Lamar, CO | 666 nm out, 15 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 3,705 ft | ||||
| TAD Trinidad, CO | 765 nm out, 8 nm north of the line | no report just now | 5,761 ft | ||||
| SKX Taos, NM | 845 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 7,094 ft | ||||
| XNI Zuni, NM | 1023 nm out, 4 nm north of the line | no report just now | 6,371 ft | ||||
| TYL Taylor, AZ | 1093 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 5,823 ft | ||||
| PHX Phoenix, AZ | destination | no report just now | 1,134 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 7,094 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At PHX when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:33 am MST (13:33 UTC)
PHX has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
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 PHX 5:58 pm MST (00:58 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:23 pm MST (01:23 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, Phoenix Sky Harbor International.