MC Ghee Tyson Airport to Columbia Metro Airport TYS → CAE
181 nautical miles (208 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 128°, about 134° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6W). At 120 knots that is 1 h 13 min at the quickest height in today's winds (13,500 ft, a 28-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:01 pm EDT (02:01 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now TYS is marginal VFR, wind from the southwest (220°) at 7 knots; CAE is VFR, wind from the southwest (220°) at 5 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: 7 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 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the first 67 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 5W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 7,000 ft. Over the route from 29 to 105 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 TYS.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- E170 at 33,000 ft, 21 nm west, 6:22 pm EDT (22:22 UTC): light to moderate chop turbulence above 33,000 ft, remarks: ZTLFD-03. At the departure end, 21 nm west of the line.
as filed, and in English
TYS UA /OV VXV270025/TM 2222/FL330/TP E170/TB CONS LGT OCNL MOD CHOP 330/RM ZTLFD-03
- Report
- a routine report filed through TYS
- Where
- 25 nm west (270°) of VXV
- Time
- 22:22 UTC
- Height
- at 33,000 ft
- Aircraft
- E170
- Turbulence
- continuous light occasional moderate chop at 33,000 ft
- Remarks
- ZTLFD-03
- E75S at 29,000 ft, 7 nm northeast, 6:21 pm EDT (22:21 UTC): light to moderate turbulence, remarks: ZTLFD-39. At the departure end, 7 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
TYS UA /OV VXV/TM 2221/FL290/TP E75S/TB CONS LGT OCNL MOD/RM ZTLFD-39
- Report
- a routine report filed through TYS
- Where
- over VXV
- Time
- 22:21 UTC
- Height
- at 29,000 ft
- Aircraft
- E75S
- Turbulence
- continuous light occasional moderate
- Remarks
- ZTLFD-39
- CRJ9 at 30,000 ft, 34 nm northeast, 6:46 pm EDT (22:46 UTC): light to moderate turbulence above 30,000 ft, remarks: ZTLFD-42. 29 nm along the route, 34 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
TYS UA /OV VXV090040/TM 2246/FL300/TP CRJ9/TB CONS LGT OCNL MOD 300/RM ZTLFD-42
- Report
- a routine report filed through TYS
- Where
- 40 nm east (090°) of VXV
- Time
- 22:46 UTC
- Height
- at 30,000 ft
- Aircraft
- CRJ9
- Turbulence
- continuous light occasional moderate at 30,000 ft
- Remarks
- ZTLFD-42
- PA32 at 7,000 ft, 24 nm southwest, 8:17 pm EDT (00:17 UTC): 8 °C, remarks: smooth. 162 nm along the route, 24 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
AGS UA /OV KAIK360010/TM 0017/FL070/TP PA32/WX FV99SM/TA 8/RM SMOOTH
- Report
- a routine report filed through AGS
- Where
- 10 nm north (360°) of KAIK
- Time
- 00:17 UTC
- Height
- at 7,000 ft
- Aircraft
- PA32
- Weather
- flight visibility 99 miles
- Temperature
- 8 °C
- Remarks
- smooth
- C525 at 2,300 ft, 49 nm southwest, 6:15 pm EDT (22:15 UTC): light turbulence, scattered clouds above 2,300 ft. 171 nm along the route, 49 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
AGS UA /OV AGS090006/TM 2215/FL023/TP C525/SK SCT 023/TB LGT TB
- Report
- a routine report filed through AGS
- Where
- 6 nm east (090°) of AGS
- Time
- 22:15 UTC
- Height
- at 2,300 ft
- Aircraft
- C525
- Sky
- scattered clouds from 2,300 ft
- Turbulence
- light turbulence
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 20:00–03:00 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 (TYS, GSP, CAE). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,500 ft | 290° at 21 kt | −20 kt | 140 kt | 1 h 18 min | 10:06 pm EDT (02:06 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 310° at 22 kt | −22 kt | 142 kt | 1 h 16 min | 10:04 pm EDT (02:04 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 310° at 23 kt | −23 kt | 9 °C | 143 kt | 1 h 16 min | 10:04 pm EDT (02:04 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 300° at 24 kt | −24 kt | 7 °C | 144 kt | 1 h 15 min | 10:03 pm EDT (02:03 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 300° at 28 kt | −27 kt | 5 °C | 147 kt | 1 h 14 min | 10:02 pm EDT (02:02 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 290° at 30 kt | −28 kt | 2 °C | 148 kt | 1 h 13 min | 10:01 pm EDT (02:01 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 290° at 31 kt | −28 kt | -1 °C | 148 kt | 1 h 13 min | 10:01 pm EDT (02:01 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 280° at 33 kt | −29 kt | -4 °C | 149 kt | 1 h 13 min | 10:01 pm EDT (02:01 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 280° at 33 kt | −29 kt | -5 °C | 149 kt | 1 h 13 min | 10:01 pm EDT (02:01 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 250° at 40 kt | −24 kt | -18 °C | 144 kt | 1 h 15 min | 10:03 pm EDT (02:03 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 240° at 48 kt | −16 kt | -32 °C | 136 kt | 1 h 20 min | 10:08 pm EDT (02:08 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 230° at 53 kt | −13 kt | -40 °C | 133 kt | 1 h 22 min | 10:10 pm EDT (02:10 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 230° at 55 kt | −13 kt | -50 °C | 133 kt | 1 h 22 min | 10:10 pm EDT (02:10 UTC) |
Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TYS | used from 0 nm out; 24 nm from the line | 290/19 | 310/22 11° | 330/25 7° | 330/34 3° | 320/37 -7° | 300/37 -18° | 300/37 -34° | 280/29 -39° | 270/29 -48° |
| GSP | used from 48 nm out; 33 nm from the line | 300/22 | 310/22 11° | 300/22 7° | 290/28 5° | 270/36 -5° | 250/42 -18° | 230/54 -31° | 230/59 -40° | 230/65 -50° |
| CAE | used from 143 nm out; 19 nm from the line | 260/27 | 310/26 11° | 280/31 9° | 270/36 7° | 250/39 -4° | 230/57 -16° | 220/74 -30° | 220/83 -40° | 220/73 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TYS Knoxville, TN | departure | marginal VFR Sky: a few clouds at 1,200 feet, overcast at 1,800 feet | from the southwest (220°) at 7 knots | 7 mi | 1,800 ft | 986 ft | 7:53 pm EDT (23:53 UTC) |
| GKT Sevierville, TN | 19 nm out, 16 nm northeast of the line | marginal VFR Sky: a broken layer at 1,300 feet, overcast at 1,800 feet | from the west-southwest (240°) at 5 knots, gusting to 13 | 10+ mi | 1,300 ft | 1,013 ft | 00:36 UTC |
| LQK Pickens, SC | 86 nm out, 9 nm southwest of the line | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 6,000 feet | from the southwest (230°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,013 ft | 00:35 UTC |
| GYH Greenville, SC | 105 nm out, 3 nm northwest of the line, tower | VFR | from the southwest (230°) at 12 knots | 10+ mi | none | 955 ft | 00:47 UTC |
| EOE Newberry, SC | 143 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line | VFR | from the south (190°) at 9 knots | 10+ mi | none | 570 ft | 00:35 UTC |
| CAE Columbia, SC | destination | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 2,600 feet | from the southwest (220°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 235 ft | 8:06 pm EDT (00:06 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,013 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At CAE when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:01 pm EDT (02:01 UTC)
Wind from the west-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 4,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for CAE
- From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 4,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for TYS, the departure
- From Sun 8:00 pm EDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 1,000 feet, a broken layer at 1,500 feet
- From Mon 3:00 am EDT (07:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 2,500 feet
- From Mon 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 3,500 feet, 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 TYS 7:04 pm EDT (23:04 UTC), at CAE 6:54 pm EDT (22:54 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:19 pm EDT (23:19 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at CAE is after sunset there (6:55 pm EDT (22:55 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: MC Ghee Tyson Airport, Columbia Metro Airport.