Victoria Regional to George Bush Intcntl/Houston Airport VCT → IAH
107 nautical miles (123 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 050°, about 046° magnetic at the departure end (variation 4E). At 120 knots that is 48 min at the quickest height in today's winds (5,500 ft, a 13-knot tailwind), arriving about 6:48 am CDT (11:48 UTC), after sunset at the destination. 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: 1,166 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
No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.
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 VCT.
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 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 2 forecast points nearest it (PSX, HOU). 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 | 170° at 22 kt | −12 kt | 132 kt | 49 min | 6:49 am CDT (11:49 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 180° at 19 kt | −13 kt | 133 kt | 48 min | 6:48 am CDT (11:48 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 180° at 13 kt | −9 kt | 16 °C | 129 kt | 50 min | 6:50 am CDT (11:50 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 190° at 7 kt | −5 kt | 14 °C | 125 kt | 51 min | 6:51 am CDT (11:51 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 190° at 1 kt | −1 kt | 9 °C | 121 kt | 53 min | 6:53 am CDT (11:53 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 230° at 2 kt | −2 kt | 4 °C | 122 kt | 53 min | 6:53 am CDT (11:53 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 230° at 5 kt | −5 kt | 0 °C | 125 kt | 51 min | 6:51 am CDT (11:51 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 230° at 8 kt | −8 kt | -5 °C | 128 kt | 50 min | 6:50 am CDT (11:50 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 9 kt | −9 kt | -6 °C | 129 kt | 50 min | 6:50 am CDT (11:50 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 250° at 12 kt | −12 kt | -13 °C | 132 kt | 49 min | 6:49 am CDT (11:49 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 310° at 16 kt | −3 kt | -30 °C | 123 kt | 52 min | 6:52 am CDT (11:52 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 320° at 17 kt | 0 | -40 °C | 120 kt | 54 min | 6:54 am CDT (11:54 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 360° at 30 kt | +19 kt | -51 °C | 101 kt | 1 h 04 min | 7:04 am CDT (12:04 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSX | used from 0 nm out; 28 nm from the line | 160/24 | 190/17 17° | 200/10 15° | L/V 8° | 260/7 -5° | 220/10 -12° | 310/11 -30° | 320/13 -40° | 010/29 -51° |
| HOU | used from 49 nm out; 30 nm from the line | 180/22 | 180/20 16° | 170/7 15° | L/V 8° | 220/11 -6° | 260/15 -13° | 310/20 -30° | 320/20 -40° | 350/32 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VCT Victoria, TX | departure | no report just now | 115 ft | ||||
| ARM Wharton, TX | 49 nm out, 7 nm south of the line | no report just now | 100 ft | ||||
| SGR Houston, TX | 78 nm out, 7 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 81 ft | ||||
| IAH Houston, TX | destination | no report just now | 95 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 115 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At IAH when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:48 am CDT (11:48 UTC)
IAH 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 VCT 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC), at IAH 6:54 pm CDT (23:54 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:18 pm CDT (00:18 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at IAH is before sunrise there (7:21 am CDT (12:21 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: Victoria Regional, George Bush Intcntl/Houston Airport.