The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 7:16 am CDT (12:16 UTC)

Stillwater Regional to Topeka Regional SWO → FOE

181 nautical miles (208 statute miles) north on a straight line, true course 022°, about 017° magnetic at the departure end (variation 5E). At 120 knots that is 1 h 10 min at the quickest height in today's winds (3,500 ft, a 36-knot tailwind), arriving about 8:26 am CDT (13:26 UTC). Right now SWO is VFR, wind from the south-southeast (160°) at 5 knots; FOE is VFR, wind from the south (180°) at 12 knots. 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 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 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 whole 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 SWO.

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

  • urgent B763 at 2,000 ft, 0 nm southeast, 6:57 am CDT (11:57 UTC): a routine report with nothing remarked on. At the destination end, 0 nm southeast of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    FOE UUA /OV 130003/TM 1157/FL020/TP B763/WV LLWS
    Report
    an urgent report filed through FOE
    Where
    wind from 130° at 3 knots
    Time
    11:57 UTC
    Height
    at 2,000 ft
    Aircraft
    B763
    Wind
    low-level wind shear
  • PC12 at 22,000 ft, 48 nm northwest, 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): light rime icing, -9 °C, remarks: no icing at FL200 zkcfdc xj. 171 nm along the route, 48 nm northwest of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    MHK UA /OV MHK/TM 1200/FL220/TP PC12/TA M09/IC LGT RIME/RM NEG ICING AT FL200 /ZKCFDC XJ
    Report
    a routine report filed through MHK
    Where
    over MHK
    Time
    12:00 UTC
    Height
    at 22,000 ft
    Aircraft
    PC12
    Temperature
    −9 °C
    Icing
    light rime
    Remarks
    no icing at FL200 zkcfdc xj

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 eastbound cruising heights for this course (VFR: odd thousands plus 500 ft; above 18,000 ft the forecast levels), with the wind averaged along the line from the 3 forecast points nearest it (TUL, ICT, MKC). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
3,500 ft230° at 42 kt−36 kt156 kt1 h 10 min8:26 am CDT (13:26 UTC)
5,500 ft240° at 31 kt−24 kt144 kt1 h 15 min8:31 am CDT (13:31 UTC)
7,500 ft240° at 24 kt−20 kt17 °C140 kt1 h 18 min8:34 am CDT (13:34 UTC)
9,500 ft230° at 20 kt−18 kt13 °C138 kt1 h 19 min8:35 am CDT (13:35 UTC)
11,500 ft230° at 19 kt−17 kt8 °C137 kt1 h 19 min8:35 am CDT (13:35 UTC)
13,500 ft240° at 20 kt−17 kt4 °C137 kt1 h 19 min8:35 am CDT (13:35 UTC)
15,500 ft240° at 23 kt−18 kt-1 °C138 kt1 h 19 min8:35 am CDT (13:35 UTC)
17,500 ft240° at 25 kt−19 kt-6 °C139 kt1 h 18 min8:34 am CDT (13:34 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180240° at 26 kt−19 kt-7 °C139 kt1 h 18 min8:34 am CDT (13:34 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240250° at 34 kt−24 kt-19 °C144 kt1 h 15 min8:31 am CDT (13:31 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300260° at 71 kt−33 kt-29 °C153 kt1 h 11 min8:27 am CDT (13:27 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340270° at 64 kt−21 kt-37 °C141 kt1 h 17 min8:33 am CDT (13:33 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390280° at 54 kt−14 kt-49 °C134 kt1 h 21 min8:37 am CDT (13:37 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
TULused from 0 nm out; 53 nm from the line230/42250/23 17°220/16 14°240/10 8°240/20 -6°260/28 -17°270/61 -29°280/52 -38°290/46 -50°
ICTused from 48 nm out; 49 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°
MKCused from 143 nm out; 64 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°

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
SWO Stillwater, OK departure VFR from the south-southeast (160°) at 5 knots 10+ mi none 1,000 ft 6:53 am CDT (11:53 UTC)
PNC Ponca City, OK 29 nm out, 14 nm northwest of the line VFR calm 10+ mi none 1,008 ft 11:53 UTC
WLD Winfield/Arkansas City, KS 57 nm out, 20 nm west of the line VFR from the south (180°) at 10 knots 10+ mi none 1,160 ft 11:54 UTC
EMP Emporia, KS 133 nm out, 9 nm northwest of the line VFR from the south (190°) at 14 knots 10+ mi none 1,207 ft 11:53 UTC
UKL Burlington, KS 143 nm out, 12 nm east of the line VFR from the south (190°) at 13 knots 10+ mi none 1,174 ft 11:55 UTC
FOE Topeka, KS destination VFR from the south (180°) at 12 knots 10+ mi none 1,077 ft 6:53 am CDT (11:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 1,207 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At FOE when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:26 am CDT (13:26 UTC)

Wind from the south at 13 knots, gusting to 18, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for FOE
  • From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south at 13 knots, gusting to 18, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 17 knots, gusting to 28, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 20,000 feet
  • From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 15,000 feet
  • From Tue 3:00 am CDT (08:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 3,000 feet
The forecast for SWO, the departure
  • From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south at 13 knots, gusting to 23, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, clear skies
  • From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 16 knots, gusting to 26, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 8:00 pm CDT (01:00 UTC): wind from the south at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet

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 SWO 6:56 pm CDT (23:56 UTC), at FOE 6:48 pm CDT (23:48 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:15 pm CDT (00:15 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 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: Stillwater Regional, Topeka Regional.