Meadows Field to Salt Lake City International BFL → SLC
464 nautical miles (534 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 044°, about 030° magnetic at the departure end (variation 14E). At 120 knots that is 2 h 37 min at the quickest height in today's winds (30,000 ft, a 57-knot tailwind), arriving about 8:56 am MDT (14:56 UTC). 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
- SIGMET W24W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 30,000 ft, moving from the south at 35 knots, until 6:55 am PDT (13:55 UTC). Near the route, 326 nm along the route.
as issued
WSUS33 KKCI 121155 MKCW WST 121155 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 24W VALID UNTIL 1355Z UT NV FROM 40ESE ELY-50NW BCE-60S ILC-50SW ILC-40ESE ELY AREA TS MOV FROM 20035KT. TOPS TO FL300.
- SIGMET W23W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 27,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 6:55 am PDT (13:55 UTC). Near the route, 434 nm along the route.
as issued
WSUS33 KKCI 121155 MKCW WST 121155 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 23W VALID UNTIL 1355Z UT ID FROM 20WSW PIH-20NE MLD-30SW SLC-20NW BVL-20WSW PIH AREA TS MOV FROM 24020KT. TOPS TO FL270.
- AIRMET SIERRA 2E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 10 to 49 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 12,000 ft. Over the last 375 nm of the route.
- AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the last 227 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the last 187 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 BFL.
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 4 forecast points nearest it (WJF, BIH, ELY, SLC). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,500 ft | 210° at 9 kt | −8 kt | 4 °C | 128 kt | 3 h 38 min | 9:57 am MDT (15:57 UTC) |
| 7,500 ft | 210° at 19 kt | −18 kt | 1 °C | 138 kt | 3 h 22 min | 9:41 am MDT (15:41 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 210° at 20 kt | −19 kt | 0 °C | 139 kt | 3 h 20 min | 9:39 am MDT (15:39 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 220° at 24 kt | −24 kt | -4 °C | 144 kt | 3 h 13 min | 9:32 am MDT (15:32 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 220° at 27 kt | −27 kt | -7 °C | 147 kt | 3 h 09 min | 9:28 am MDT (15:28 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 220° at 31 kt | −30 kt | -12 °C | 150 kt | 3 h 06 min | 9:25 am MDT (15:25 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 220° at 34 kt | −34 kt | -15 °C | 154 kt | 3 h 01 min | 9:20 am MDT (15:20 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 35 kt | −35 kt | -16 °C | 155 kt | 3 h | 9:19 am MDT (15:19 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 220° at 47 kt | −46 kt | -24 °C | 166 kt | 2 h 48 min | 9:07 am MDT (15:07 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 57 kt | −57 kt | -30 °C | 177 kt | 2 h 37 min | 8:56 am MDT (14:56 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 220° at 58 kt | −57 kt | -37 °C | 177 kt | 2 h 37 min | 8:56 am MDT (14:56 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 220° at 52 kt | −52 kt | -44 °C | 172 kt | 2 h 42 min | 9:01 am MDT (15:01 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WJF | used from 0 nm out; 64 nm from the line | 210/26 4° | 210/28 2° | 230/23 -4° | 240/28 -13° | 220/47 -23° | 220/57 -30° | 220/65 -37° | 220/59 -45° | |
| BIH | used from 49 nm out; 66 nm from the line | L/V | 020/6 0° | 140/7 -7° | 210/31 -16° | 230/34 -26° | 220/43 -30° | 220/52 -36° | 220/46 -43° | |
| ELY | used from 197 nm out; 87 nm from the line | 210/34 1° | 220/40 -4° | 220/39 -17° | 210/51 -24° | 220/65 -30° | 220/60 -37° | 220/56 -44° | ||
| SLC | used from 395 nm out; 44 nm from the line | 200/16 | 210/23 4° | 220/34 -3° | 210/40 -16° | 220/66 -23° | 220/64 -31° | 220/57 -36° | 220/50 -43° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BFL Bakersfield, CA | departure | no report just now | 509 ft | ||||
| BTY Beatty, NV | 138 nm out, 18 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 3,169 ft | ||||
| ELY Ely, NV | 306 nm out, 23 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 6,259 ft | ||||
| TVY Tooele, UT | 444 nm out, 3 nm northwest of the line | no report just now | 4,321 ft | ||||
| SLC Salt Lake City, UT | destination | no report just now | 4,230 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 6,259 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At SLC when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:56 am MDT (14:56 UTC)
SLC has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8783 38NM NE BAKERSFIELD, CA, Saturday, October 10, 2026 through Friday, October 23, 2026 UTC 11 nm from the route, 30 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · until 23 October · ZLA
Daylight
Sunset at BFL 6:23 pm PDT (01:23 UTC), at SLC 6:50 pm MDT (00:50 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:18 pm MDT (01:18 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: Meadows Field, Salt Lake City International.