Meadows Field to Yakima Air Trml/Mcallister Field BFL → YKM
672 nautical miles (773 statute miles) north on a straight line, true course 355°, about 341° magnetic at the departure end (variation 14E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 20 min at the quickest height in today's winds (39,000 ft, a 6-knot tailwind), arriving about 9:18 am PDT (16:18 UTC). Right now BFL is VFR, wind from the north (360°) at 8 knots; YKM is VFR, wind calm. 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 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 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the last 652 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 2E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 30 to 158 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 445 to 543 nm out.
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 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 6 forecast points nearest it (FAT, BIH, RNO, LKV, RDM, YKM). 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 | 020° at 4 kt | +4 kt | -2 °C | 116 kt | 5 h 48 min | 9:46 am PDT (16:46 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 360° at 4 kt | +4 kt | -1 °C | 116 kt | 5 h 48 min | 9:46 am PDT (16:46 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 360° at 6 kt | +6 kt | -6 °C | 114 kt | 5 h 54 min | 9:52 am PDT (16:52 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 340° at 5 kt | +5 kt | -7 °C | 115 kt | 5 h 51 min | 9:49 am PDT (16:49 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 320° at 6 kt | +5 kt | -11 °C | 115 kt | 5 h 51 min | 9:49 am PDT (16:49 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 340° at 14 kt | +14 kt | -13 °C | 106 kt | 6 h 20 min | 10:18 am PDT (17:18 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 350° at 22 kt | +22 kt | -16 °C | 98 kt | 6 h 51 min | 10:49 am PDT (17:49 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 350° at 28 kt | +28 kt | -18 °C | 92 kt | 7 h 18 min | 11:16 am PDT (18:16 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 360° at 57 kt | +57 kt | -25 °C | 63 kt | 10 h 40 min | 2:38 pm PDT (21:38 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 340° at 42 kt | +41 kt | -35 °C | 79 kt | 8 h 30 min | 12:28 pm PDT (19:28 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 300° at 21 kt | +12 kt | -38 °C | 108 kt | 6 h 13 min | 10:11 am PDT (17:11 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 250° at 20 kt | −6 kt | -42 °C | 126 kt | 5 h 20 min | 9:18 am PDT (16:18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAT | used from 0 nm out; 63 nm from the line | 140/11 | 180/15 3° | 150/14 -3° | 200/14 -6° | 240/17 -16° | 320/25 -23° | 270/22 -31° | 240/29 -37° | 230/36 -44° |
| BIH | used from 99 nm out; 45 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° | |
| RNO | used from 148 nm out; 74 nm from the line | 010/6 | 270/12 -3° | 220/26 -10° | 280/13 -19° | 350/44 -24° | 320/30 -32° | 260/22 -36° | 240/24 -42° | |
| LKV | used from 346 nm out; 44 nm from the line | 010/10 -8° | 360/20 -11° | 360/58 -19° | 360/92 -25° | 350/69 -37° | 310/34 -37° | 240/26 -41° | ||
| RDM | used from 494 nm out; 45 nm from the line | 360/14 -2° | 020/25 -8° | 360/34 -13° | 360/75 -16° | 360/88 -25° | 360/80 -39° | 350/47 -42° | 360/11 -43° | |
| YKM | used from 593 nm out; 54 nm from the line | 360/6 | 360/11 -1° | 030/20 -7° | 040/21 -11° | 020/55 -18° | 010/84 -26° | 010/79 -40° | 010/45 -42° | 350/23 -42° |
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 | VFR Sky: overcast at 5,500 feet | from the north (360°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | 5,500 ft | 509 ft | 3:54 am PDT (10:54 UTC) |
| PTV Porterville, CA | 40 nm out, 5 nm southeast of the line | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 3,000 feet, overcast at 5,000 feet | from the northeast (040°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | 5,000 ft | 443 ft | 10:56 UTC |
| FAT Fresno, CA | 79 nm out, 25 nm west of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 6,000 feet | from the east-southeast (120°) at 11 knots | 10+ mi | 6,000 ft | 335 ft | 10:53 UTC |
| RNO Reno, NV | 247 nm out, 10 nm west of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 7,500 feet | from the north (360°) at 4 knots | 10+ mi | 7,500 ft | 4,414 ft | 09:55 UTC |
| LKV Lakeview, OR | 405 nm out, 23 nm west of the line | VFR | from the north-northwest (340°) at 6 knots | 10+ mi | none | 4,734 ft | 10:53 UTC |
| YKM Yakima, WA | destination | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 9,000 feet | calm | 10+ mi | 9,000 ft | 1,098 ft | 3:53 am PDT (10:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 4,734 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At YKM when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 9:18 am PDT (16:18 UTC)
Wind from the west at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for YKM
- From Sun 11:00 pm PDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the west at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 11:00 am PDT (18:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for BFL, the departure
- From Sun 11:00 pm PDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the north at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 5,000 feet, a broken layer at 10,000 feet
- From Mon 5:00 am PDT (12:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/7094 45NM NE MERCED, CA, Sunday, October 4, 2026 through Tuesday, October 20, 2026 UTC 7 nm from the route, 138 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · until 20 October · ZOA
Daylight
Sunset at BFL 6:23 pm PDT (01:23 UTC), at YKM 6:19 pm PDT (01:19 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:49 pm PDT (01:49 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, Yakima Air Trml/Mcallister Field.