MC Ghee Tyson Airport to Chicago O'Hare International TYS → ORD
413 nautical miles (475 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 335°, about 341° magnetic at the departure end (variation 6W). At 120 knots that is 3 h 54 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 14-knot headwind), arriving about 11:12 am CDT (16:12 UTC). Right now TYS is low IFR, wind from the southwest (220°) at 6 knots; ORD is VFR, wind from the southwest (220°) at 8 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: 5,255 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 first 275 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 4E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, mist). Over the first 69 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 TYS.
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 4 forecast points nearest it (TYS, LOU, 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 18 kt | +14 kt | 106 kt | 3 h 54 min | 11:12 am CDT (16:12 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 310° at 19 kt | +17 kt | 14 °C | 103 kt | 4 h 01 min | 11:19 am CDT (16:19 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 310° at 18 kt | +16 kt | 10 °C | 104 kt | 3 h 58 min | 11:16 am CDT (16:16 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 300° at 18 kt | +15 kt | 6 °C | 105 kt | 3 h 56 min | 11:14 am CDT (16:14 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 300° at 18 kt | +15 kt | 3 °C | 105 kt | 3 h 56 min | 11:14 am CDT (16:14 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 300° at 21 kt | +18 kt | 0 °C | 102 kt | 4 h 03 min | 11:21 am CDT (16:21 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 300° at 24 kt | +20 kt | -4 °C | 100 kt | 4 h 08 min | 11:26 am CDT (16:26 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 300° at 26 kt | +22 kt | -7 °C | 98 kt | 4 h 13 min | 11:31 am CDT (16:31 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 290° at 32 kt | +24 kt | -20 °C | 96 kt | 4 h 18 min | 11:36 am CDT (16:36 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 290° at 33 kt | +24 kt | -34 °C | 96 kt | 4 h 18 min | 11:36 am CDT (16:36 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 310° at 49 kt | +44 kt | -42 °C | 76 kt | 5 h 26 min | 12:44 pm CDT (17:44 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 310° at 54 kt | +47 kt | -51 °C | 73 kt | 5 h 39 min | 12:57 pm CDT (17:57 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TYS | used from 0 nm out; 25 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° |
| LOU | used from 98 nm out; 44 nm from the line | 300/16 | 310/19 15° | 310/17 9° | 300/15 4° | 300/26 -6° | 280/34 -19° | 290/30 -34° | 310/49 -42° | 310/58 -51° |
| IND | used from 197 nm out; 38 nm from the line | 270/22 | 290/19 15° | 270/19 8° | 270/18 4° | 290/28 -7° | 280/35 -20° | 270/37 -34° | 300/51 -42° | 300/61 -51° |
| JOT | used from 344 nm out; 34 nm from the line | 250/25 | 260/22 14° | 250/17 9° | 270/21 5° | 280/28 -8° | 280/36 -20° | 270/41 -35° | 280/57 -42° | 290/65 -50° |
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 | low IFR Weather: fog | from the southwest (220°) at 6 knots | 0.25 mi | none | 986 ft | 7:53 am EDT (11:53 UTC) |
| JAU Jacksboro, TN | 29 nm out, 6 nm northeast of the line | low IFR Sky: overcast at 100 feet Weather: fog | calm | 0.25 mi | 100 ft | 1,179 ft | 12:00 UTC |
| SME Somerset, KY | 79 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line | low IFR Sky: overcast at 200 feet Weather: mist | calm | 0.5 mi | 200 ft | 927 ft | 11:55 UTC |
| DVK Danville, KY | 108 nm out, 12 nm northeast of the line | low IFR Sky: overcast at 100 feet Weather: fog | from the south-southwest (200°) at 4 knots | 0.25 mi | 100 ft | 1,021 ft | 11:55 UTC |
| BRY Bardstown, KY | 138 nm out, 14 nm west of the line | marginal VFR Weather: mist | from the southeast (130°) at 3 knots | 3 mi | none | 669 ft | 12:15 UTC |
| LOU Louisville, KY | 167 nm out, 10 nm southwest of the line, tower | marginal VFR Weather: mist | from the south-southeast (150°) at 3 knots | 3 mi | none | 545 ft | 12:03 UTC |
| BAK Columbus, IN | 226 nm out, 8 nm northeast of the line, tower | low IFR Sky: overcast at 100 feet Weather: fog | calm | 0.5 mi | 100 ft | 656 ft | 11:45 UTC |
| IND Indianapolis, IN | 256 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 4,000 feet, a broken layer at 23,000 feet | from the south-southeast (150°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | 23,000 ft | 796 ft | 11:54 UTC |
| LAF Lafayette, IN | 305 nm out, 6 nm west of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 605 ft | 11:54 UTC |
| RZL Rensselaer, IN | 344 nm out, 1 nm southeast of the line | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 698 ft | 12:15 UTC |
| GYY Gary/Chicago, IN | 383 nm out, 10 nm northeast of the line, tower | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 596 ft | 11:50 UTC |
| ORD Chicago, IL | destination | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 18,000 feet, a broken layer at 24,000 feet | from the southwest (220°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | 24,000 ft | 680 ft | 6:51 am CDT (11:51 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,179 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At ORD when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 11:12 am CDT (16:12 UTC)
Wind from the south-southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for ORD
- From Mon 7:00 am CDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 12:00 pm CDT (17:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 13 knots, gusting to 24, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 6:00 pm CDT (23:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 12,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 pm CDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 10,000 feet
- From Tue 5:00 am CDT (10:00 UTC): wind from the west at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 20,000 feet
The forecast for TYS, the departure
- From Mon 8:00 am EDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 4 knots, visibility ¼ mile, fog, overcast at 100 feet
- From Mon 9:00 am EDT (13:00 UTC): wind from the southwest at 6 knots, visibility 1 mile, mist, overcast at 200 feet
- From Mon 9:30 am EDT (13:30 UTC): wind from the southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 500 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am EDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Tue 5:00 am EDT (09:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility 3 miles, mist, scattered clouds at 200 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 ORD 6:15 pm CDT (23:15 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:43 pm CDT (23:43 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, Chicago O'Hare International.