The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 6:59 am EDT (10:59 UTC)

Louisville Muhammad Ali International to Garden City Regional SDF → GCK

708 nautical miles (815 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 273°, about 278° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5W). At 120 knots that is 6 h 52 min at the quickest height in today's winds (8,500 ft, a 17-knot headwind), arriving about 12:51 pm CDT (17:51 UTC). Right now SDF is VFR, wind from the southeast (140°) at 3 knots; GCK is VFR, wind from the southwest (220°) at 20 knots, gusting to 33. 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 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 first 60 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 2W: 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 last 419 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 SDF.

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

  • E550 at 8,700 ft, 13 nm south, 6:30 am EDT (10:30 UTC): clear from 8,700 ft to 60,000 ft, remarks: visual conditions clear during the climb. 80 nm along the route, 13 nm south of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    EVV UA /OV EVV/TM 1030/FL087/TP E550/SK SKC/RM VMC CLR DURC
    Report
    a routine report filed through EVV
    Where
    over EVV
    Time
    10:30 UTC
    Height
    at 8,700 ft
    Aircraft
    E550
    Sky
    clear
    Remarks
    visual conditions clear during the climb

Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 08:00–15:00 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 (LOU, EVV, STL, COU, SGF, MKC, ICT, SLN, GCK). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft250° at 29 kt+27 kt22 °C93 kt7 h 37 min1:36 pm CDT (18:36 UTC)
6,500 ft250° at 22 kt+21 kt17 °C99 kt7 h 09 min1:08 pm CDT (18:08 UTC)
8,500 ft240° at 18 kt+17 kt13 °C103 kt6 h 52 min12:51 pm CDT (17:51 UTC)
10,500 ft240° at 18 kt+17 kt9 °C103 kt6 h 52 min12:51 pm CDT (17:51 UTC)
12,500 ft250° at 20 kt+18 kt5 °C102 kt6 h 56 min12:55 pm CDT (17:55 UTC)
14,500 ft250° at 22 kt+22 kt1 °C98 kt7 h 13 min1:12 pm CDT (18:12 UTC)
16,500 ft260° at 25 kt+25 kt-4 °C95 kt7 h 27 min1:26 pm CDT (18:26 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180260° at 27 kt+27 kt-7 °C93 kt7 h 37 min1:36 pm CDT (18:36 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240250° at 34 kt+33 kt-19 °C87 kt8 h 08 min2:07 pm CDT (19:07 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300270° at 58 kt+58 kt-31 °C62 kt11 h 25 min5:24 pm CDT (22:24 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340280° at 60 kt+60 kt-39 °C60 kt11 h 48 min5:47 pm CDT (22:47 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390290° at 56 kt+54 kt-49 °C66 kt10 h 44 min4:43 pm CDT (21:43 UTC)

Based on data from the 12th at 06:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 12:00 UTC for use 08:00 to 15:00 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
LOUused from 0 nm out; 28 nm from the line300/16310/19 15°310/17 9°300/15 4°300/26 -6°280/34 -19°290/30 -34°310/49 -42°310/58 -51°
EVVused from 50 nm out; 15 nm from the line270/25290/17 15°260/10 8°270/16 5°280/29 -6°280/33 -19°290/38 -33°300/53 -41°310/54 -51°
STLused from 150 nm out; 52 nm from the line250/26240/21 15°240/22 11°250/23 6°270/28 -7°260/30 -19°280/52 -31°280/57 -40°300/57 -49°
COUused from 249 nm out; 44 nm from the line250/36260/14 16°250/5 12°260/12 6°260/24 -7°260/35 -19°280/58 -31°280/62 -40°290/60 -49°
SGFused from 349 nm out; 64 nm from the line230/37260/20 15°250/16 13°250/15 8°260/28 -7°250/31 -17°280/59 -31°280/59 -39°290/55 -50°
MKCused from 399 nm out; 52 nm from the line240/49240/21 20°220/19 13°230/21 6°260/26 -7°250/37 -19°270/66 -31°270/65 -38°280/60 -48°
ICTused from 499 nm out; 42 nm from the line230/45240/33 21°230/23 14°230/22 7°240/29 -7°240/36 -20°260/78 -29°270/69 -36°270/56 -49°
SLNused from 598 nm out; 75 nm from the line230/49240/41 22°230/26 15°220/21 7°240/38 -8°240/44 -21°260/77 -29°270/70 -36°270/63 -48°
GCKused from 648 nm out; 35 nm from the line240/40 22°240/40 14°240/38 7°230/39 -7°230/45 -20°250/73 -28°260/74 -36°260/64 -49°

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
SDF Louisville, KY departure VFR Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 feet from the southeast (140°) at 3 knots 7 mi none 500 ft 6:56 am EDT (10:56 UTC)
HNB Huntingburg, IN 60 nm out, 3 nm northeast of the line VFR from the south-southeast (150°) at 4 knots 8 mi none 529 ft 10:56 UTC
EVV Evansville, IN 80 nm out, 13 nm south of the line, tower marginal VFR Weather: mist calm 5 mi none 421 ft 10:54 UTC
BLV Belleville, IL 189 nm out, 16 nm north of the line, tower VFR calm 10+ mi none 459 ft 09:55 UTC
SUS St Louis, MO 229 nm out, 22 nm north of the line, tower VFR calm 10+ mi none 463 ft 10:54 UTC
JEF Jefferson City, MO 299 nm out, 18 nm north of the line, tower VFR from the east-southeast (110°) at 3 knots 10+ mi none 549 ft 10:53 UTC
BUM Butler, MO 409 nm out, 3 nm northeast of the line no report just now 893 ft
UKL Burlington, KS 469 nm out, 5 nm northwest of the line VFR from the south-southwest (200°) at 14 knots 10+ mi none 1,174 ft 10:55 UTC
EWK Newton, KS 548 nm out, 7 nm southeast of the line VFR from the south (190°) at 14 knots 10+ mi none 1,533 ft 10:56 UTC
HUT Hutchinson, KS 568 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line, tower VFR from the south (180°) at 8 knots 10+ mi none 1,542 ft 10:52 UTC
DDC Dodge City, KS 678 nm out, 14 nm southeast of the line VFR calm 9 mi none 2,595 ft 10:52 UTC
GCK Garden City, KS destination VFR from the southwest (220°) at 20 knots, gusting to 33 10+ mi none 2,890 ft 5:54 am CDT (10:54 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 2,890 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At GCK when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 12:51 pm CDT (17:51 UTC)

Wind from the south-southwest at 20 knots, gusting to 30, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR

The whole forecast for GCK
  • From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 15 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, clear skies
  • From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
  • From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 20 knots, gusting to 30, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
  • From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 15 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for SDF, the departure
  • From Mon 4:00 am EDT (08:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility 3 miles, mist, clear skies
  • At times between Mon 5:00 am EDT (09:00 UTC) and 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): visibility ½ mile, fog, clear skies
  • From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 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 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies

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 SDF 7:09 pm EDT (23:09 UTC), at GCK 7:08 pm CDT (00:08 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:34 pm CDT (00:34 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 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 now, the southern Plains
Radar now, the southern Plains · 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: Louisville Muhammad Ali International, Garden City Regional.