Northwest Arkansas Ntl Airport to University Of Illinois/Willard Airport XNA → CMI
363 nautical miles (418 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 050°, about 049° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1E). At 120 knots that is 2 h 17 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 39-knot tailwind), arriving about 8:19 am CDT (13:19 UTC). Right now XNA is VFR, wind from the south (190°) at 6 knots; CMI is VFR, wind from the southwest (220°) at 4 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: 6 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 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 first 128 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 XNA.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
No pilot reports within 50 nautical miles of the line in the last three hours.
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 4 forecast points nearest it (SGF, COU, STL, SPI). 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 | 240° at 29 kt | −29 kt | 149 kt | 2 h 26 min | 8:28 am CDT (13:28 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 250° at 22 kt | −20 kt | 140 kt | 2 h 36 min | 8:38 am CDT (13:38 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 250° at 18 kt | −17 kt | 13 °C | 137 kt | 2 h 39 min | 8:41 am CDT (13:41 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 250° at 16 kt | −15 kt | 11 °C | 135 kt | 2 h 41 min | 8:43 am CDT (13:43 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 250° at 17 kt | −16 kt | 8 °C | 136 kt | 2 h 40 min | 8:42 am CDT (13:42 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 260° at 20 kt | −18 kt | 3 °C | 138 kt | 2 h 38 min | 8:40 am CDT (13:40 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 260° at 23 kt | −20 kt | -2 °C | 140 kt | 2 h 36 min | 8:38 am CDT (13:38 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 270° at 26 kt | −22 kt | -6 °C | 142 kt | 2 h 33 min | 8:35 am CDT (13:35 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 270° at 27 kt | −22 kt | -7 °C | 142 kt | 2 h 33 min | 8:35 am CDT (13:35 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 260° at 31 kt | −28 kt | -18 °C | 148 kt | 2 h 27 min | 8:29 am CDT (13:29 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 280° at 55 kt | −36 kt | -31 °C | 156 kt | 2 h 20 min | 8:22 am CDT (13:22 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 280° at 59 kt | −39 kt | -40 °C | 159 kt | 2 h 17 min | 8:19 am CDT (13:19 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 290° at 57 kt | −26 kt | -49 °C | 146 kt | 2 h 29 min | 8:31 am CDT (13:31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SGF | used from 0 nm out; 49 nm from the line | 230/37 | 260/20 15° | 250/16 13° | 250/15 8° | 260/28 -7° | 250/31 -17° | 280/59 -31° | 280/59 -39° | 290/55 -50° |
| COU | used from 147 nm out; 54 nm from the line | 250/36 | 260/14 16° | 250/5 12° | 260/12 6° | 260/24 -7° | 260/35 -19° | 280/58 -31° | 280/62 -40° | 290/60 -49° |
| STL | used from 196 nm out; 18 nm from the line | 250/26 | 240/21 15° | 240/22 11° | 250/23 6° | 270/28 -7° | 260/30 -19° | 280/52 -31° | 280/57 -40° | 300/57 -49° |
| SPI | used from 294 nm out; 33 nm from the line | 260/28 | 250/22 15° | 250/14 9° | 260/20 6° | 280/27 -7° | 280/34 -19° | 280/48 -32° | 280/59 -41° | 300/60 -49° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XNA Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers, AR | departure | VFR | from the south (190°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,288 ft | 5:53 am CDT (10:53 UTC) |
| HFJ Monett, MO | 39 nm out, 20 nm northwest of the line | VFR | from the south (190°) at 12 knots, gusting to 15 | 10+ mi | none | 1,316 ft | 10:55 UTC |
| SGF Springfield, MO | 69 nm out, 16 nm northwest of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (170°) at 9 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,268 ft | 10:52 UTC |
| LBO Lebanon, MO | 118 nm out, 13 nm northwest of the line | VFR | from the south-southwest (200°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,320 ft | 10:55 UTC |
| TBN Fort Leonard Wood, MO | 137 nm out, 2 nm west of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (180°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 1,159 ft | 10:55 UTC |
| UBX Cuba, MO | 177 nm out, 5 nm south of the line | no report just now | 1,023 ft | ||||
| SUS St Louis, MO | 226 nm out, 1 nm northwest of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 463 ft | 10:54 UTC |
| ALN Alton/St Louis, IL | 255 nm out, 6 nm southeast of the line, tower | VFR | calm | 10+ mi | none | 543 ft | 10:55 UTC |
| TAZ Taylorville, IL | 304 nm out, 5 nm north of the line | no report just now | 622 ft | ||||
| DEC Decatur, IL | 334 nm out, 6 nm northwest of the line, tower | VFR | from the southwest (220°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 681 ft | 10:54 UTC |
| CMI Champaign/Urbana, IL | destination | VFR | from the southwest (220°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | none | 754 ft | 5:53 am CDT (10:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 1,320 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At CMI when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:19 am CDT (13:19 UTC)
Wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for CMI
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
- From Mon 9:00 am CDT (14:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 11 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 21,000 feet
The forecast for XNA, the departure
- From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few clouds at 5,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 16 knots, gusting to 25, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south at 6 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 XNA 6:45 pm CDT (23:45 UTC), at CMI 6:18 pm CDT (23:18 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:45 pm CDT (23:45 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: Northwest Arkansas Ntl Airport, University Of Illinois/Willard Airport.