The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 7:17 am CDT (12:17 UTC)

Duluth International to San Francisco International DLH → SFO

1,440 nautical miles (1,658 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 258°, about 259° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1W). At 120 knots that is 12 h 31 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 5-knot headwind), arriving about 5:48 pm PDT (00:48 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: 1 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 C18C: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 36,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 8:55 am CDT (13:55 UTC). Over the route from 328 to 358 nm out.
    as issued
    WSUS32 KKCI 121155
    MKCC WST 121155
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 18C
    VALID UNTIL 1355Z
    SD ND
    FROM 50NE BIS-70W FAR-40N PIR-40N DPR-50NE BIS
    AREA TS MOV FROM 22040KT. TOPS TO FL360.
  • SIGMET W23W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 27,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 8:55 am CDT (13:55 UTC). Over the route from 914 to 983 nm out.
    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 4E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the first 666 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 626 to 1132 nm out.
  • AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 685 to 1172 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the last 228 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 2E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 1311 to 1341 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 DLH.

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 13 forecast points nearest it (DLH, AXN, ABR, PIR, RAP, LND, PIH, SLC, ELY, BAM, RNO, SAC, SFO). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft240° at 5 kt+5 kt16 °C115 kt12 h 31 min5:48 pm PDT (00:48 UTC)
6,500 ft240° at 9 kt+9 kt13 °C111 kt12 h 58 min6:15 pm PDT (01:15 UTC)
8,500 ft240° at 13 kt+13 kt7 °C107 kt13 h 27 min6:44 pm PDT (01:44 UTC)
10,500 ft240° at 18 kt+18 kt2 °C102 kt14 h 07 min7:24 pm PDT (02:24 UTC)
12,500 ft240° at 23 kt+22 kt-2 °C98 kt14 h 42 min7:59 pm PDT (02:59 UTC)
14,500 ft230° at 24 kt+23 kt-6 °C97 kt14 h 51 min8:08 pm PDT (03:08 UTC)
16,500 ft230° at 25 kt+23 kt-10 °C97 kt14 h 51 min8:08 pm PDT (03:08 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180230° at 26 kt+24 kt-13 °C96 kt15 h8:17 pm PDT (03:17 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240240° at 29 kt+27 kt-24 °C93 kt15 h 29 min8:46 pm PDT (03:46 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300240° at 37 kt+36 kt-33 °C84 kt17 h 09 min10:26 pm PDT (05:26 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340240° at 42 kt+42 kt-37 °C78 kt18 h 28 min11:45 pm PDT (06:45 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390240° at 46 kt+47 kt-45 °C73 kt19 h 44 min1:01 am PDT (08:01 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
DLHused from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line090/31250/7 14°250/26 11°250/36 4°280/36 -11°290/35 -22°300/39 -38°280/41 -44°280/66 -49°
AXNused from 50 nm out; 73 nm from the line110/6260/10 16°240/17 12°250/20 5°260/29 -10°260/35 -22°260/29 -38°270/48 -41°270/61 -48°
ABRused from 199 nm out; 52 nm from the line080/12210/12 17°220/22 12°230/26 5°220/28 -10°230/41 -21°250/36 -36°260/47 -39°260/63 -47°
PIRused from 348 nm out; 58 nm from the line230/15 15°220/22 14°220/24 6°200/32 -10°210/48 -22°240/45 -33°240/43 -37°250/55 -46°
RAPused from 397 nm out; 74 nm from the line250/28 16°260/31 10°240/25 4°210/35 -10°200/45 -23°230/47 -31°230/47 -36°230/51 -46°
LNDused from 596 nm out; 123 nm from the line240/10 3°240/30 0°220/42 -13°230/52 -23°220/54 -33°220/52 -36°220/53 -44°
PIHused from 844 nm out; 64 nm from the line070/8150/19 1°180/32 -4°210/44 -17°210/37 -28°210/74 -31°220/68 -35°220/60 -43°
SLCused from 944 nm out; 80 nm from the line200/16210/23 4°220/34 -3°210/40 -16°220/66 -23°220/64 -31°220/57 -36°220/50 -43°
ELYused from 993 nm out; 110 nm from the line210/34 1°220/40 -4°220/39 -17°210/51 -24°220/65 -30°220/60 -37°220/56 -44°
BAMused from 1043 nm out; 66 nm from the line280/9 -2°260/18 -8°190/47 -19°200/50 -29°210/56 -29°220/54 -34°220/45 -42°
RNOused from 1192 nm out; 68 nm from the line010/6270/12 -3°220/26 -10°280/13 -19°350/44 -24°320/30 -32°260/22 -36°240/24 -42°
SACused from 1341 nm out; 26 nm from the lineL/VL/V 4°340/9 -4°340/22 -8°360/71 -12°360/82 -23°350/58 -37°310/30 -40°270/25 -44°
SFOused from 1391 nm out; 25 nm from the line090/9050/12 4°010/17 -2°350/34 -3°360/70 -11°360/75 -22°350/57 -38°330/37 -42°280/25 -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
DLH Duluth, MN departure no report just now 1,427 ft
SAZ Staples, MN 109 nm out, 4 nm south of the line no report just now 1,287 ft
FFM Fergus Falls, MN 169 nm out, 5 nm north of the line no report just now 1,182 ft
MBG Mobridge, SD 348 nm out, 11 nm northwest of the line no report just now 1,716 ft
SPF Spearfish, SD 507 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line no report just now 3,933 ft
PNA Pinedale, WY 785 nm out, 2 nm west of the line no report just now 7,096 ft
MLD Malad City, ID 904 nm out, 13 nm north of the line no report just now 4,503 ft
LWL Wells, NV 1033 nm out, 10 nm northwest of the line no report just now 5,769 ft
MEV Minden, NV 1291 nm out, 6 nm northwest of the line no report just now 4,723 ft
LVK Livermore, CA 1420 nm out, 11 nm southeast of the line, tower no report just now 399 ft
SFO San Francisco, CA destination no report just now 13 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 7,096 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, 5:48 pm PDT (00:48 UTC)

SFO has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.

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 DLH 6:27 pm CDT (23:27 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 Pacific Northwest
Radar now, the Pacific Northwest · 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: Duluth International, San Francisco International.