The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 1:43 am EDT (05:43 UTC)

Richmond International to Phoenix Sky Harbor International RIC → PHX

1,704 nautical miles (1,961 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 272°, about 282° magnetic at the departure end (variation 10W). At 120 knots that is 16 h 33 min at the quickest height in today's winds (10,500 ft, a 17-knot headwind), arriving about 3:16 pm MST (22:16 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: 136 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

  • SIGMET E19E: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 43,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 2:55 am EDT (06:55 UTC). Over the route from 50 to 110 nm out.
    as issued
    WSUS31 KKCI 120455
    MKCE WST 120455
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 19E
    VALID UNTIL 0655Z
    CT NY NJ PA DE MD VA DC WV AND DE NJ NY MD CT VA CSTL WTRS
    FROM 20NNW HTO-70SSE HTO-90SE SIE-20WNW LYH-40ESE AIR-20NNW HTO
    AREA EMBD TS MOV FROM 24020KT. TOPS TO FL430.
  • SIGMET 7C: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 34,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 2:55 am EDT (06:55 UTC). Over the route from 1246 to 1365 nm out.
    as issued
    WSUS32 KKCI 120455
    MKCC WST 120455
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 7C
    VALID UNTIL 0655Z
    TX OK CO NM
    FROM 40NNW PUB-70WSW LBL-40NE CME-40ESE RSK-30ENE HBU-40NNW PUB
    AREA TS MOV FROM 22040KT. TOPS TO FL340.
  • 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 first 488 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 21,000 ft to 33,000 ft. Over the first 90 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 10,000 ft. Over the route from 70 to 179 nm out.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 90 to 289 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 3W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). Over the route from 797 to 1136 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the route from 1286 to 1624 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 35,000 ft to 45,000 ft. Over the last 389 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 1604 to 1684 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 02:00–09:00 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 15 forecast points nearest it (RIC, ROA, CRW, TRI, LOU, EVV, CGI, SGF, TUL, OKC, GAG, AMA, TCC, ABQ, PHX). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft240° at 19 kt+19 kt17 °C101 kt16 h 52 min3:35 pm MST (22:35 UTC)
6,500 ft250° at 17 kt+19 kt14 °C101 kt16 h 52 min3:35 pm MST (22:35 UTC)
8,500 ft260° at 16 kt+18 kt11 °C102 kt16 h 42 min3:25 pm MST (22:25 UTC)
10,500 ft260° at 15 kt+17 kt8 °C103 kt16 h 33 min3:16 pm MST (22:16 UTC)
12,500 ft250° at 16 kt+17 kt4 °C103 kt16 h 33 min3:16 pm MST (22:16 UTC)
14,500 ft250° at 18 kt+20 kt0 °C100 kt17 h 02 min3:45 pm MST (22:45 UTC)
16,500 ft250° at 21 kt+22 kt-4 °C98 kt17 h 23 min4:06 pm MST (23:06 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180250° at 23 kt+24 kt-7 °C96 kt17 h 45 min4:28 pm MST (23:28 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240250° at 30 kt+32 kt-19 °C88 kt19 h 22 min6:05 pm MST (01:05 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300260° at 46 kt+48 kt-30 °C72 kt23 h 40 min10:23 pm MST (05:23 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340270° at 50 kt+52 kt-38 °C68 kt25 h 04 min11:47 pm MST (06:47 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390270° at 42 kt+43 kt-49 °C77 kt22 h 08 min8:51 pm MST (03:51 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
RICused from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line270/23280/19 11°270/18 8°240/22 4°230/39 -7°220/55 -18°220/75 -30°230/83 -39°230/64 -50°
ROAused from 50 nm out; 53 nm from the line310/29330/31 13°340/28 7°330/25 3°310/32 -8°300/32 -22°290/32 -31°270/35 -38°270/32 -47°
CRWused from 199 nm out; 53 nm from the line330/20330/23 11°340/25 8°340/21 2°340/33 -9°340/41 -20°330/42 -35°320/44 -39°320/43 -47°
TRIused from 249 nm out; 72 nm from the line330/22 11°330/29 7°330/32 3°330/36 -8°320/34 -19°320/36 -34°320/43 -39°320/46 -47°
LOUused from 299 nm out; 84 nm from the line310/18340/28 16°340/29 10°350/27 3°330/27 -7°340/39 -19°330/58 -33°330/67 -41°330/40 -49°
EVVused from 448 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°
CGIused from 548 nm out; 12 nm from the line240/20270/15 15°280/15 11°300/13 6°290/20 -6°280/24 -18°300/34 -32°300/47 -41°310/49 -51°
SGFused from 698 nm out; 47 nm from the line230/33230/28 15°250/20 13°240/18 7°250/20 -6°250/24 -17°280/42 -31°280/49 -40°290/46 -51°
TULused from 847 nm out; 34 nm from the line210/37240/29 17°260/15 14°260/11 7°240/22 -6°250/29 -16°270/45 -29°270/47 -40°280/44 -50°
OKCused from 947 nm out; 62 nm from the line200/44230/32 18°240/13 15°240/10 9°240/20 -5°250/27 -16°260/47 -28°270/48 -39°270/45 -50°
GAGused from 997 nm out; 58 nm from the line220/40 19°230/28 14°240/23 8°230/21 -6°240/31 -19°250/66 -29°260/58 -38°260/47 -49°
AMAused from 1146 nm out; 34 nm from the line210/38230/29 14°240/29 7°220/27 -5°240/37 -18°240/66 -28°250/59 -37°260/47 -49°
TCCused from 1246 nm out; 14 nm from the line210/42230/33 14°230/32 6°220/35 -6°230/49 -19°240/72 -27°250/62 -36°250/52 -48°
ABQused from 1345 nm out; 52 nm from the line220/27 11°210/35 5°220/46 -9°230/62 -20°240/78 -25°240/80 -35°240/56 -47°
PHXused from 1545 nm out; 135 nm from the line150/5200/21 12°200/27 6°200/35 3°220/58 -8°220/69 -19°220/87 -26°230/93 -35°230/79 -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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
RIC Richmond, VA departure no report just now 167 ft
LYH Lynchburg, VA 90 nm out, 14 nm south of the line, tower no report just now 938 ft
PBX Pikeville, KY 249 nm out, 1 nm west of the line no report just now 1,464 ft
OWB Owensboro, KY 468 nm out, 19 nm north of the line, tower no report just now 407 ft
CGI Cape Girardeau, MO 588 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line, tower no report just now 341 ft
SGF Springfield, MO 767 nm out, 19 nm north of the line, tower no report just now 1,268 ft
WDG Enid, OK 987 nm out, 4 nm east of the line, tower no report just now 1,167 ft
HHF Canadian, TX 1116 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line no report just now 2,396 ft
TCC Tucumcari, NM 1276 nm out, 13 nm south of the line no report just now 4,064 ft
ABQ Albuquerque, NM 1415 nm out, 16 nm northwest of the line, tower no report just now 5,354 ft
JTC Springerville, AZ 1565 nm out, 2 nm east of the line no report just now 7,055 ft
PHX Phoenix, AZ destination no report just now 1,134 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 7,055 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, 3:16 pm MST (22:16 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 RIC 6:36 pm EDT (22:36 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

Radar now, the Southeast
Radar now, the Southeast · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the central Great Lakes
Radar now, the central Great Lakes · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley
Radar now, the upper 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: Richmond International, Phoenix Sky Harbor International.