The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 3:17 am CDT (08:17 UTC)

The Eastern Iowa Airport to San Francisco International CID → SFO

1,431 nautical miles (1,646 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 270°, about 268° magnetic at the departure end (variation 2E). At 120 knots that is 13 h 15 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 12-knot headwind), arriving about 2:32 pm PDT (21:32 UTC). Right now CID is VFR, wind from the south (180°) at 6 knots; SFO 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: 3 flights in the DOT's last twelve reported months, the route's page.

The return flight

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 W17W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 30,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 4:55 am CDT (09:55 UTC). Over the route from 993 to 1073 nm out.
    as issued
    WSUS33 KKCI 120755
    MKCW WST 120755
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 17W
    VALID UNTIL 0955Z
    AZ UT NV
    FROM 20WNW BVL-30N BCE-60SSW BCE-50NNE LAS-60NNW ELY-20WNW BVL
    AREA TS MOV FROM 24020KT. TOPS TO FL300.
  • AIRMET TANGO 3W: 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 427 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 4E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Near the route, 457 nm along the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 42,000 ft. Over the route from 536 to 914 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the route from 546 to 1063 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 1W: 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 route from 576 to 755 nm out.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 656 to 1182 nm out.
  • AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 666 to 1202 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 5W: strong surface winds (30 knots or more) (due to sustained surface winds greater than 30 knots). Near the route, 685 nm along the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the last 159 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 CID.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

  • B737 at 18,000 ft, 30 nm south, 2:24 am CDT (07:24 UTC): moderate turbulence, remarks: FL180-130. 606 nm along the route, 30 nm south of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    DEN UA /OV DEN330050/TM 0724/FL180/TP B737/TB MOD/RM FL180-130
    Report
    a routine report filed through DEN
    Where
    50 nm northwest (330°) of DEN
    Time
    07:24 UTC
    Height
    at 18,000 ft
    Aircraft
    B737
    Turbulence
    moderate
    Remarks
    FL180-130

Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 02:00–09:00 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 14 forecast points nearest it (DSM, OMA, GRI, ONL, BFF, DEN, RKS, SLC, ELY, BAM, BIH, RNO, SAC, SFO). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft210° at 19 kt+12 kt21 °C108 kt13 h 15 min2:32 pm PDT (21:32 UTC)
6,500 ft220° at 16 kt+12 kt14 °C108 kt13 h 15 min2:32 pm PDT (21:32 UTC)
8,500 ft220° at 19 kt+15 kt8 °C105 kt13 h 38 min2:55 pm PDT (21:55 UTC)
10,500 ft220° at 21 kt+16 kt4 °C104 kt13 h 46 min3:03 pm PDT (22:03 UTC)
12,500 ft230° at 23 kt+19 kt0 °C101 kt14 h 10 min3:27 pm PDT (22:27 UTC)
14,500 ft230° at 25 kt+21 kt-4 °C99 kt14 h 27 min3:44 pm PDT (22:44 UTC)
16,500 ft230° at 27 kt+23 kt-8 °C97 kt14 h 45 min4:02 pm PDT (23:02 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180230° at 28 kt+24 kt-11 °C96 kt14 h 54 min4:11 pm PDT (23:11 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240230° at 33 kt+28 kt-22 °C92 kt15 h 33 min4:50 pm PDT (23:50 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300230° at 42 kt+37 kt-31 °C83 kt17 h 14 min6:31 pm PDT (01:31 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340240° at 50 kt+47 kt-36 °C73 kt19 h 36 min8:53 pm PDT (03:53 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390240° at 51 kt+49 kt-45 °C71 kt20 h 09 min9:26 pm PDT (04:26 UTC)

Based on data from the 12th at 00:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 06:00 UTC for use 02:00 to 09:00 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
DSMused from 0 nm out; 66 nm from the line230/40250/33 17°250/18 12°240/17 5°260/28 -8°270/34 -19°260/41 -33°260/55 -41°270/62 -51°
OMAused from 149 nm out; 33 nm from the line220/47240/33 19°250/18 11°230/17 6°260/29 -8°250/33 -19°250/51 -33°260/61 -40°270/62 -49°
GRIused from 248 nm out; 50 nm from the line230/35 21°230/23 13°220/20 7°240/25 -8°240/37 -20°250/49 -33°260/57 -38°260/58 -47°
ONLused from 348 nm out; 80 nm from the line210/31 20°230/27 13°230/18 7°220/19 -8°240/26 -20°250/44 -35°270/52 -39°260/57 -47°
BFFused from 397 nm out; 113 nm from the line180/28220/33 15°210/31 7°230/32 -9°220/41 -21°220/40 -33°240/47 -36°250/54 -46°
DENused from 596 nm out; 80 nm from the line240/21 14°250/44 6°220/49 -8°220/49 -21°230/54 -30°240/57 -35°240/49 -45°
RKSused from 695 nm out; 82 nm from the line200/41220/44 1°220/35 -11°220/46 -24°210/53 -27°220/62 -35°230/61 -44°
SLCused from 844 nm out; 61 nm from the line200/5230/8 2°220/20 -2°210/40 -12°190/53 -25°210/62 -30°220/69 -34°220/64 -43°
ELYused from 993 nm out; 46 nm from the line200/39 3°210/27 -2°210/45 -15°220/56 -24°210/60 -28°210/63 -34°220/61 -43°
BAMused from 1142 nm out; 97 nm from the line310/7 0°270/19 -7°200/38 -17°190/49 -28°220/69 -29°220/63 -33°230/48 -41°
BIHused from 1192 nm out; 84 nm from the lineL/V240/7 1°190/13 -3°200/26 -16°210/43 -26°220/54 -28°220/51 -35°220/47 -43°
RNOused from 1242 nm out; 67 nm from the line010/9320/10 -2°210/23 -9°210/34 -19°220/36 -25°230/31 -29°230/41 -33°230/38 -42°
SACused from 1291 nm out; 68 nm from the line110/6L/V 4°010/11 -2°350/11 -7°340/24 -16°360/44 -23°330/24 -30°270/21 -35°230/23 -43°
SFOused from 1391 nm out; 20 nm from the line120/13090/14 5°040/14 -1°350/17 -5°360/42 -14°360/64 -23°350/38 -32°300/19 -37°250/18 -44°

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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
CID Cedar Rapids, IA departure VFR from the south (180°) at 6 knots 10+ mi none 869 ft 9:52 pm CDT (02:52 UTC)
DSM Des Moines, IA 89 nm out, 20 nm south of the line, tower VFR Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 feet from the south-southwest (200°) at 9 knots 10+ mi none 957 ft 07:54 UTC
TQE Tekamah, NE 199 nm out, 2 nm southwest of the line VFR from the south-southeast (160°) at 7 knots 10+ mi none 1,026 ft 07:54 UTC
ODX Ord, NE 328 nm out, 4 nm east of the line VFR calm 10+ mi none 2,070 ft 07:53 UTC
OKS Oshkosh, NE 477 nm out, 2 nm northwest of the line no report just now 3,394 ft
CYS Cheyenne, WY 586 nm out, 4 nm west of the line, tower VFR from the west (270°) at 20 knots, gusting to 37 10+ mi none 6,159 ft 07:53 UTC
VEL Vernal, UT 805 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 3,400 feet, a broken layer at 4,700 feet, overcast at 6,000 feet Weather: light rain from the west (260°) at 10 knots 9 mi 4,700 ft 5,274 ft 07:53 UTC
PVU Provo, UT 914 nm out, 8 nm north of the line, tower VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 5,500 feet, a broken layer at 7,500 feet, overcast at 12,000 feet from the east (090°) at 7 knots 10+ mi 7,500 ft 4,496 ft 07:56 UTC
ELY Ely, NV 1063 nm out, 11 nm south of the line VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 4,800 feet, a broken layer at 6,000 feet, overcast at 9,000 feet Weather: rain from the south (190°) at 10 knots, gusting to 22 8 mi 6,000 ft 6,259 ft 07:53 UTC
HTH Hawthorne, NV 1242 nm out, 6 nm south of the line marginal VFR Sky: a few clouds at 1,800 feet, a few clouds at 2,500 feet, a few clouds at 3,000 feet Weather: haze from the west-northwest (300°) at 4 knots 4 mi none 4,230 ft 07:55 UTC
SCK Stockton, CA 1371 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line, tower VFR Sky: a broken layer at 9,500 feet from the east-southeast (110°) at 4 knots 10+ mi 9,500 ft 32 ft 07:55 UTC
SFO San Francisco, CA destination VFR Sky: a few clouds at 2,000 feet calm 10+ mi none 13 ft 12:56 am PDT (07:56 UTC)

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 SFO when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 2:32 pm PDT (21:32 UTC)

Wind from the northeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR

The whole forecast for SFO
  • From Sun 11:00 pm PDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 2,000 feet
  • From Mon 11:00 am PDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the northeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
  • From Mon 3:00 pm PDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the west at 12 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
  • From Mon 8:00 pm PDT (03:00 UTC): wind from the west at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for CID, the departure
  • From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a broken layer at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 15 knots, gusting to 22, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
  • From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, low-level wind shear, a few 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 CID 6:30 pm CDT (23:30 UTC), at SFO 6:35 pm PDT (01:35 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:01 pm PDT (02:01 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

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the northern Rockies
Radar now, the northern Rockies · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the southern Rockies
Radar now, the southern Rockies · loop National Weather Service
Radar, the whole country
Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service
Surface analysis now
Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead
Forecast chart, 24 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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: The Eastern Iowa Airport, San Francisco International.