Shenandoah Valley Regional to Lafayette Rgnl/Paul Fournet Field SHD → LFT
809 nautical miles (931 statute miles) southwest on a straight line, true course 237°, about 246° magnetic at the departure end (variation 9W). At 120 knots that is 6 h 16 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 9-knot tailwind), arriving about 9:58 am CDT (14:58 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: 2 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, fog). Over the first 419 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 10,000 ft. Over the first 150 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the first 359 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 29,000 ft to 40,000 ft. Over the route from 160 to 210 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 SHD.
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 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 8 forecast points nearest it (ROA, TRI, TYS, HSV, BHM, JAN, MSY, LCH). 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 | 320° at 15 kt | +2 kt | 11 °C | 118 kt | 6 h 51 min | 10:33 am CDT (15:33 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 330° at 16 kt | −1 kt | 15 °C | 121 kt | 6 h 41 min | 10:23 am CDT (15:23 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 340° at 18 kt | −3 kt | 11 °C | 123 kt | 6 h 35 min | 10:17 am CDT (15:17 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 340° at 17 kt | −3 kt | 8 °C | 123 kt | 6 h 35 min | 10:17 am CDT (15:17 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 330° at 17 kt | −3 kt | 4 °C | 123 kt | 6 h 35 min | 10:17 am CDT (15:17 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 330° at 20 kt | −3 kt | 0 °C | 123 kt | 6 h 35 min | 10:17 am CDT (15:17 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 330° at 23 kt | −2 kt | -3 °C | 122 kt | 6 h 38 min | 10:20 am CDT (15:20 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 330° at 25 kt | −2 kt | -6 °C | 122 kt | 6 h 38 min | 10:20 am CDT (15:20 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 330° at 27 kt | −2 kt | -18 °C | 122 kt | 6 h 38 min | 10:20 am CDT (15:20 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 330° at 42 kt | −6 kt | -32 °C | 126 kt | 6 h 25 min | 10:07 am CDT (15:07 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 330° at 47 kt | −9 kt | -40 °C | 129 kt | 6 h 16 min | 9:58 am CDT (14:58 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 330° at 38 kt | −3 kt | -50 °C | 123 kt | 6 h 35 min | 10:17 am CDT (15:17 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
| Point | From | 3,000 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 18,000 | 24,000 | 30,000 | 34,000 | 39,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROA | used from 0 nm out; 52 nm from the line | 310/32 | 340/32 14° | 350/25 9° | 340/24 3° | 340/42 -8° | 340/52 -20° | 350/62 -34° | 350/64 -39° | 310/44 -48° |
| TRI | used from 150 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 340/25 11° | 350/37 9° | 350/34 6° | 340/39 -7° | 340/43 -19° | 340/55 -32° | 330/58 -42° | 320/37 -50° | |
| TYS | used from 250 nm out; 19 nm from the line | 330/16 | 350/32 14° | 350/37 9° | 340/30 5° | 330/28 -6° | 340/36 -19° | 330/40 -33° | 330/51 -41° | 330/36 -51° |
| HSV | used from 349 nm out; 74 nm from the line | 300/20 | 310/14 16° | 310/18 10° | 310/15 4° | 320/19 -5° | 290/16 -18° | 320/36 -32° | 320/47 -41° | 330/42 -50° |
| BHM | used from 449 nm out; 10 nm from the line | 310/19 | 310/15 16° | 320/19 11° | 330/15 5° | 330/23 -5° | 320/14 -18° | 320/36 -32° | 330/44 -40° | 340/36 -51° |
| JAN | used from 549 nm out; 86 nm from the line | 240/10 | 260/15 18° | 280/10 11° | 290/6 6° | 290/15 -5° | 300/15 -17° | 320/35 -30° | 330/38 -40° | 330/39 -51° |
| MSY | used from 699 nm out; 71 nm from the line | 150/9 | 140/8 18° | L/V 13° | L/V 6° | 320/15 -5° | 310/16 -16° | 320/32 -31° | 340/35 -40° | 350/34 -52° |
| LCH | used from 799 nm out; 68 nm from the line | 170/21 | 160/23 18° | 170/13 13° | 170/6 8° | 300/12 -7° | 280/16 -14° | 320/27 -30° | 330/23 -41° | 340/38 -51° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHD Staunton/Waynesboro/Harrisonburg, VA | departure | no report just now | 1,201 ft | ||||
| LWB Lewisburg, WV | 70 nm out, 19 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 2,301 ft | ||||
| MKJ Marion/Wytheville, VA | 140 nm out, 5 nm south of the line | no report just now | 2,558 ft | ||||
| TRI Bristol/Johnson/Kingsport, TN | 200 nm out, 4 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,518 ft | ||||
| TYS Knoxville, TN | 290 nm out, 17 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 986 ft | ||||
| CHA Chattanooga, TN | 359 nm out, 14 nm northwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 682 ft | ||||
| BHM Birmingham, AL | 479 nm out, 12 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 650 ft | ||||
| TCL Tuscaloosa, AL | 519 nm out, 2 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 169 ft | ||||
| MEI Meridian, MS | 599 nm out, 7 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 297 ft | ||||
| MCB Mc Comb, MS | 709 nm out, 6 nm south of the line | no report just now | 413 ft | ||||
| BTR Baton Rouge, LA | 759 nm out, 13 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 69 ft | ||||
| LFT Lafayette, LA | destination | no report just now | 40 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,558 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At LFT when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 9:58 am CDT (14:58 UTC)
LFT 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 SHD 6:42 pm EDT (22:42 UTC), at LFT 6:40 pm CDT (23:40 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:04 pm CDT (00:04 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: Shenandoah Valley Regional, Lafayette Rgnl/Paul Fournet Field.