Tuscaloosa Ntl Airport to Chicago Midway International TCL → MDW
514 nautical miles (592 statute miles) north on a straight line, true course 359°, about 359° magnetic at the departure end (variation 0E). At 120 knots that is 4 h 35 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 8-knot headwind), arriving about 7:04 am CDT (12:04 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). Over the route from 277 to 297 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 TCL.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- B38M at 29,000 ft, 20 nm west, 11:52 pm CDT (04:52 UTC): no turbulence from 23,000 ft to 29,000 ft. 445 nm along the route, 20 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
TIP UA /OV RBS/TM 0452/FL290/TP B38M/TB NEG 230-290
- Report
- a routine report filed through TIP
- Where
- over RBS
- Time
- 04:52 UTC
- Height
- at 29,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B38M
- Turbulence
- no from 23,000 ft to 29,000 ft
- B739 at 35,000 ft, 15 nm west, 2:05 am CDT (07:05 UTC): no turbulence. 465 nm along the route, 15 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
TIP UA /OV RBS010023/TM 0705/FL350/TP B739/TB NEG
- Report
- a routine report filed through TIP
- Where
- 23 nm north (010°) of RBS
- Time
- 07:05 UTC
- Height
- at 35,000 ft
- Aircraft
- B739
- Turbulence
- none
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 6 forecast points nearest it (BHM, HSV, BNA, EVV, IND, JOT). 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 | 300° at 16 kt | +8 kt | 112 kt | 4 h 35 min | 7:04 am CDT (12:04 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 310° at 17 kt | +11 kt | 15 °C | 109 kt | 4 h 43 min | 7:12 am CDT (12:12 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 310° at 19 kt | +13 kt | 11 °C | 107 kt | 4 h 48 min | 7:17 am CDT (12:17 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 320° at 17 kt | +13 kt | 7 °C | 107 kt | 4 h 48 min | 7:17 am CDT (12:17 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 330° at 15 kt | +13 kt | 4 °C | 107 kt | 4 h 48 min | 7:17 am CDT (12:17 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 320° at 18 kt | +13 kt | 0 °C | 107 kt | 4 h 48 min | 7:17 am CDT (12:17 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 310° at 20 kt | +14 kt | -4 °C | 106 kt | 4 h 51 min | 7:20 am CDT (12:20 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 310° at 22 kt | +14 kt | -7 °C | 106 kt | 4 h 51 min | 7:20 am CDT (12:20 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 320° at 28 kt | +22 kt | -18 °C | 98 kt | 5 h 15 min | 7:44 am CDT (12:44 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 320° at 43 kt | +34 kt | -33 °C | 86 kt | 5 h 59 min | 8:28 am CDT (13:28 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 320° at 56 kt | +42 kt | -42 °C | 78 kt | 6 h 35 min | 9:04 am CDT (14:04 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 320° at 51 kt | +41 kt | -51 °C | 79 kt | 6 h 30 min | 8:59 am CDT (13:59 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
| Point | From | 3,000 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 18,000 | 24,000 | 30,000 | 34,000 | 39,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BHM | used from 0 nm out; 43 nm from the line | 310/19 | 330/20 17° | 320/28 11° | 340/21 6° | 310/22 -7° | 330/33 -17° | 330/50 -32° | 330/57 -41° | 330/41 -50° |
| HSV | used from 49 nm out; 44 nm from the line | 310/20 | 330/20 16° | 320/27 11° | 340/23 5° | 320/23 -7° | 340/30 -17° | 320/50 -33° | 330/61 -41° | 340/41 -50° |
| BNA | used from 148 nm out; 47 nm from the line | 310/20 | 340/20 17° | 330/24 10° | 340/22 5° | 330/26 -6° | 340/29 -18° | 330/52 -33° | 320/62 -41° | 340/45 -50° |
| EVV | used from 198 nm out; 67 nm from the line | 280/15 | 290/12 17° | 310/16 10° | 320/13 5° | 310/22 -6° | 320/26 -18° | 320/38 -33° | 310/56 -41° | 320/55 -51° |
| IND | used from 346 nm out; 68 nm from the line | 290/16 | 310/20 16° | 320/21 10° | 330/13 3° | 300/25 -7° | 320/32 -19° | 330/46 -34° | 320/61 -43° | 320/63 -50° |
| JOT | used from 445 nm out; 35 nm from the line | 250/23 | 270/22 15° | 250/16 10° | 240/9 4° | 280/22 -7° | 280/29 -19° | 300/29 -34° | 290/50 -43° | 300/64 -52° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TCL Tuscaloosa, AL | departure | no report just now | 169 ft | ||||
| JFX Jasper, AL | 40 nm out, 15 nm east of the line | no report just now | 482 ft | ||||
| MSL Muscle Shoals, AL | 89 nm out, 3 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 550 ft | ||||
| MRC Columbia/Mount Pleasant, TN | 138 nm out, 23 nm east of the line | no report just now | 681 ft | ||||
| GHM Centerville, TN | 158 nm out, 10 nm east of the line | no report just now | 765 ft | ||||
| HVC Hopkinsville, KY | 218 nm out, 10 nm east of the line | no report just now | 563 ft | ||||
| EVV Evansville, IN | 287 nm out, 8 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 421 ft | ||||
| AJG Mount Carmel, IL | 326 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 429 ft | ||||
| HUF Terre Haute, IN | 376 nm out, 19 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 589 ft | ||||
| DNV Danville, IL | 415 nm out, 7 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 696 ft | ||||
| IKK Kankakee, IL | 475 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 629 ft | ||||
| MDW Chicago, IL | destination | no report just now | 619 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 765 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At MDW when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 7:04 am CDT (12:04 UTC)
MDW 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 TCL 6:20 pm CDT (23:20 UTC), at MDW 6:14 pm CDT (23:14 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:42 pm CDT (23:42 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: Tuscaloosa Ntl Airport, Chicago Midway International.