Richmond International to Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain Airport RIC → MSP
842 nautical miles (969 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 307°, about 317° magnetic at the departure end (variation 10W). At 120 knots that is 7 h 31 min at the quickest height in today's winds (12,500 ft, a 8-knot headwind), arriving about 3:51 am CDT (08:51 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: 1,119 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 route from 40 to 109 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the route from 69 to 168 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 79 to 218 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 route from 188 to 386 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 RIC.
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 9 forecast points nearest it (RIC, EKN, AGC, CMH, FWA, MKG, GRB, LSE, MSP). 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 | 260° at 12 kt | +9 kt | 13 °C | 111 kt | 7 h 35 min | 3:55 am CDT (08:55 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 280° at 13 kt | +13 kt | 14 °C | 107 kt | 7 h 52 min | 4:12 am CDT (09:12 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 290° at 10 kt | +10 kt | 10 °C | 110 kt | 7 h 39 min | 3:59 am CDT (08:59 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 300° at 8 kt | +9 kt | 6 °C | 111 kt | 7 h 35 min | 3:55 am CDT (08:55 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 310° at 8 kt | +8 kt | 3 °C | 112 kt | 7 h 31 min | 3:51 am CDT (08:51 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 300° at 10 kt | +10 kt | -2 °C | 110 kt | 7 h 39 min | 3:59 am CDT (08:59 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 300° at 13 kt | +13 kt | -6 °C | 107 kt | 7 h 52 min | 4:12 am CDT (09:12 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 300° at 15 kt | +15 kt | -9 °C | 105 kt | 8 h 01 min | 4:21 am CDT (09:21 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 280° at 24 kt | +22 kt | -21 °C | 98 kt | 8 h 36 min | 4:56 am CDT (09:56 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 280° at 31 kt | +28 kt | -35 °C | 92 kt | 9 h 09 min | 5:29 am CDT (10:29 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 36 kt | +32 kt | -42 °C | 88 kt | 9 h 34 min | 5:54 am CDT (10:54 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 280° at 48 kt | +44 kt | -50 °C | 76 kt | 11 h 05 min | 7:25 am CDT (12:25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIC | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 190/33 | 200/29 14° | 210/31 12° | 210/38 6° | 230/42 -7° | 230/68 -16° | 220/84 -29° | 220/86 -40° | 220/81 -52° |
| EKN | used from 50 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 270/18 13° | 310/5 7° | 140/7 3° | 210/16 -9° | 220/41 -20° | 210/57 -32° | 220/57 -38° | 230/49 -47° | |
| AGC | used from 198 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 140/12 | 350/10 12° | L/V 9° | L/V 3° | 200/11 -11° | 220/21 -22° | 220/47 -33° | 230/51 -39° | 230/45 -48° |
| CMH | used from 248 nm out; 38 nm from the line | 340/14 | 320/13 12° | 350/12 8° | 360/10 2° | 350/27 -10° | 340/20 -22° | 320/31 -35° | 270/25 -39° | 260/32 -48° |
| FWA | used from 347 nm out; 59 nm from the line | 350/9 | 350/24 15° | 360/25 9° | 360/29 4° | 350/31 -10° | 340/39 -22° | 330/40 -37° | 320/38 -43° | 320/48 -48° |
| MKG | used from 495 nm out; 55 nm from the line | 250/5 | 320/10 15° | 310/19 9° | 320/21 3° | 310/23 -10° | 330/37 -22° | 330/51 -38° | 320/44 -47° | 300/60 -49° |
| GRB | used from 594 nm out; 83 nm from the line | 240/24 | 260/18 16° | 270/20 11° | 290/14 4° | 280/24 -9° | 300/34 -21° | 310/51 -38° | 310/54 -48° | 300/71 -51° |
| LSE | used from 644 nm out; 73 nm from the line | 220/33 | 250/29 17° | 250/15 9° | 260/12 6° | 280/21 -9° | 280/33 -20° | 300/43 -36° | 310/56 -45° | 300/79 -53° |
| MSP | used from 792 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 200/28 | 240/30 19° | 240/24 12° | 240/17 5° | 270/24 -10° | 270/33 -20° | 280/48 -35° | 290/55 -45° | 280/84 -54° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIC Richmond, VA | departure | no report just now | 167 ft | ||||
| CHO Charlottesville, VA | 69 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 640 ft | ||||
| EKN Elkins, WV | 149 nm out, 4 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,987 ft | ||||
| CKB Clarksburg, WV | 178 nm out, 8 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,223 ft | ||||
| MFD Mansfield, OH | 317 nm out, 24 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,297 ft | ||||
| OWX Ottawa, OH | 376 nm out, 2 nm south of the line | no report just now | 763 ft | ||||
| EKM Elkhart, IN | 475 nm out, 15 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 777 ft | ||||
| MKE Milwaukee, WI | 584 nm out, 6 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 728 ft | ||||
| UES Waukesha, WI | 604 nm out, 5 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 911 ft | ||||
| CMY Sparta, WI | 723 nm out, 2 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 839 ft | ||||
| RGK Red Wing, MN | 802 nm out, 4 nm west of the line | no report just now | 778 ft | ||||
| MSP Minneapolis, MN | destination | no report just now | 841 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,987 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MSP when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 3:51 am CDT (08:51 UTC)
MSP has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/6656 ANOKA, MN, Monday, October 5, 2026 through Monday, October 19, 2026 Local 19 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · until 19 October · ZMP
Daylight
Sunset at RIC 6:36 pm EDT (22:36 UTC), at MSP 6:33 pm CDT (23:33 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:03 pm CDT (00:03 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at MSP is before sunrise there (7:24 am CDT (12:24 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: Richmond International, Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain Airport.