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home / skills / probichaux / clawdskills / flight-time

flight-time skill

/flight-time

This skill estimates flight time between airports using winds aloft and true airspeed to aid planning and route comparison.

npx playbooks add skill probichaux/clawdskills --skill flight-time

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (2)
SKILL.md
1.6 KB
---
name: flight-time
description: Estimate flight time between airports accounting for winds aloft. Use when calculating flight duration, planning trips, or comparing routes. Takes departure/arrival ICAO codes, cruise altitude, and true airspeed.
---

# Flight Time Estimator

Calculates estimated flight time between two airports using:
- Great circle distance
- Current winds aloft forecast (from NOAA Aviation Weather)
- True airspeed at cruise altitude

## Usage

```bash
~/clawd/skills/flight-time/scripts/flight_time.py KDEP KARR --altitude FEET --tas KNOTS
```

### Examples

```bash
# Huntsville to Atlanta at 6000ft, 140kt TAS
flight_time.py KHSV KFTY --altitude 6000 --tas 140

# Dallas to Denver at 10000ft, 165kt TAS
flight_time.py KDAL KDEN --altitude 10000 --tas 165

# JSON output for scripting
flight_time.py KHSV KFTY --altitude 6000 --tas 140 --json
```

### Parameters

- `departure`: ICAO code (e.g., KHSV)
- `arrival`: ICAO code (e.g., KFTY)
- `--altitude`: Cruise altitude in feet MSL
- `--tas`: True airspeed in knots
- `--json`: Output as JSON (optional)

## Output

Returns:
- Distance (nm)
- True course
- Winds at altitude (from nearest FB station)
- Ground speed
- Estimated flight time
- Wind effect (headwind/tailwind impact in minutes)

## Data Sources

- **Airport coordinates**: NOAA Aviation Weather API
- **Winds aloft**: NOAA FB winds forecast (6-hour)

## Limitations

- Uses single wind observation at route midpoint (not full route interpolation)
- Does not account for climb/descent phases
- Wind data updates every 6 hours
- No terrain or airspace considerations

Overview

This skill estimates flight time between two airports while accounting for winds aloft and true airspeed. It combines great-circle distance with the nearest available wind forecast to produce ground speed, estimated block time, and wind impact. Use it to compare routes, plan general aviation trips, or validate timing assumptions quickly.

How this skill works

The tool computes great-circle distance from departure to arrival using ICAO airport coordinates, then samples the winds aloft forecast near the route midpoint at the specified cruise altitude. It projects the wind component onto the true course to adjust true airspeed into ground speed and derives an estimated flight time. Output includes distance, true course, wind vector at altitude, ground speed, estimated flight time, and minutes gained or lost to winds.

When to use it

  • Pre-flight planning for VFR/IFR cross-country trips
  • Comparing alternate routes or stopover airports
  • Estimating arrival times for dispatch or passenger briefings
  • Validating time-on-task for fuel and scheduling calculations
  • Quick checks when wind forecasts may materially change cruise ground speed

Best practices

  • Specify realistic cruise TAS and the intended cruise altitude for accurate results
  • Treat output as en-route cruise time only; add time for climb, descent, and reserves
  • Re-run with updated winds before departure—winds update roughly every 6 hours
  • Use as a planning aid, not a substitute for full performance calculations or ATC constraints
  • Cross-check with route-specific winds if you need per-leg interpolation or complex routing

Example use cases

  • Estimate time KHSV to KFTY at 6,000 ft and 140 kt TAS to plan a day trip
  • Compare KDAL to KDEN times at 10,000 ft across forecast updates to evaluate best departure slot
  • Produce machine-readable JSON output for integration into dispatch or trip-planning scripts
  • Quickly quantify minutes lost or gained by tailwinds on a proposed cruise altitude change

FAQ

Which airport codes can I use?

Provide ICAO codes (four-letter). The skill uses those codes to look up coordinates and nearest wind station.

Does the estimate include climb and descent?

No. The estimate assumes cruise only. Add time for climb, descent, taxi, and reserves separately.

How fresh are the winds used?

Winds are taken from the FAA/NOAA winds aloft forecast, which updates about every six hours; plan accordingly.