Plan a flight · Mon 4:44 am CDT (09:44 UTC)

Northwest Florida Beaches International to Sacramento International ECP → SMF

1,827 nautical miles (2,103 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 296°, about 299° magnetic at the departure end (variation 3W). At 120 knots that is 16 h 10 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 7-knot headwind), arriving about 6:54 pm PDT (01:54 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now ECP is VFR, wind from the northwest (310°) at 4 knots; SMF is VFR, wind from the south-southwest (200°) at 4 knots. 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

SIGMET W18W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 30,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 5:55 am CDT (10:55 UTC). Over the route from 1398 to 1508 nm out.

as issued

WSUS33 KKCI 120855
MKCW WST 120855
CONVECTIVE SIGMET 18W
VALID UNTIL 1055Z
AZ UT NV
FROM 20WNW BVL-30N BCE-60SSW BCE-50NNE LAS-60NNW ELY-20WNW BVL
AREA TS MOV FROM 24020KT. TOPS TO FL300.

SIGMET W18W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 30,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 5:55 am CDT (10:55 UTC). Over the route from 1508 to 1548 nm out.

as issued

WSUS33 KKCI 120903 CCA
MKCW WST 120903 COR
CONVECTIVE SIGMET 18W
VALID UNTIL 1055Z
UT ID NV
FROM 30E TWF-10W MLD-10SE ILC-50WSW ILC-60NE OAL-30E TWF
AREA TS MOV FROM 24020KT. TOPS TO FL300.
***COR PTS***

AIRMET TANGO 2W: 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 619 to 1068 nm out.
AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) from 34,000 ft to 43,000 ft. Over the route from 959 to 1408 nm out.
AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 22,000 ft. Over the route from 1018 to 1198 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 1158 to 1268 nm out.
AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 12,000 ft. Over the route from 1208 to 1598 nm out.
AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 1238 to 1628 nm out.
AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 1378 to 1488 nm out.
AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the last 120 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 ECP.

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

A35K at 32,000 ft, 44 nm southwest, 3:39 am CDT (08:39 UTC): moderate chop turbulence, remarks: fdcs zoa. At the destination end, 44 nm southwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
OAK UA /OV OAK348024/TM 0839/FL320/TP A35K/TB MOD CHOP/RM FDCS ZOA
```
Report
a routine report filed through OAK
Where
24 nm north (348°) of OAK
Time
08:39 UTC
Height
at 32,000 ft
Aircraft
A35K
Turbulence
moderate chop
Remarks
fdcs zoa
A333 at 38,000 ft, 50 nm north, 3:23 am CDT (08:23 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: mtw +/-15KT zdvwc. 1058 nm along the route, 50 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
ALS UA /OV ALS085025/TM 0823/FL380/TP A333/TB LGT CHOP/RM MTW +/-15KT. ZDVWC
```
Report
a routine report filed through ALS
Where
25 nm east (085°) of ALS
Time
08:23 UTC
Height
at 38,000 ft
Aircraft
A333
Turbulence
light chop
Remarks
mtw +/-15KT zdvwc
BE20 at 9,000 ft, 13 nm northeast, 2:52 am CDT (07:52 UTC): light to moderate rime icing, -5 °C, remarks: during the descent zdvwc. 1168 nm along the route, 13 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DRO UA /OV DRO/TM 0752/FL090/TP BE20/SK BASE110 TOP165/TA M05/IC LGT-MOD RIME/RM DURD. ZDVWC
```
Report
a routine report filed through DRO
Where
over DRO
Time
07:52 UTC
Height
at 9,000 ft
Aircraft
BE20
Sky
BASE110 TOP165
Temperature
−5 °C
Icing
light to moderate rime
Remarks
during the descent zdvwc
PC12 at 11,000 ft, 13 nm northeast, 1:58 am CDT (06:58 UTC): light turbulence, no icing, remarks: during the descent arrival KFMN ZDVWC-36. 1168 nm along the route, 13 nm northeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
```
DRO UA /OV DRO/TM 0658/FL110/TP PC12/SK BASE117/TB CONS LGT/IC NEG/RM DURD ARR KFMN. ZDVWC-36
```
Report
a routine report filed through DRO
Where
over DRO
Time
06:58 UTC
Height
at 11,000 ft
Aircraft
PC12
Sky
BASE117
Turbulence
continuous light
Icing
none
Remarks
during the descent arrival KFMN ZDVWC-36

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 17 forecast points nearest it (TLH, MOB, JAN, SHV, DAL, OKC, SPS, GAG, AMA, TCC, ALS, FMN, BCE, ELY, BIH, RNO, SAC). 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	230° at 15 kt	+7 kt	22 °C	113 kt	16 h 10 min	6:54 pm PDT (01:54 UTC)
6,500 ft	230° at 14 kt	+8 kt	16 °C	112 kt	16 h 19 min	7:03 pm PDT (02:03 UTC)
8,500 ft	230° at 13 kt	+8 kt	9 °C	112 kt	16 h 19 min	7:03 pm PDT (02:03 UTC)
10,500 ft	230° at 17 kt	+10 kt	5 °C	110 kt	16 h 37 min	7:21 pm PDT (02:21 UTC)
12,500 ft	230° at 19 kt	+11 kt	1 °C	109 kt	16 h 46 min	7:30 pm PDT (02:30 UTC)
14,500 ft	230° at 21 kt	+13 kt	-2 °C	107 kt	17 h 04 min	7:48 pm PDT (02:48 UTC)
16,500 ft	240° at 24 kt	+16 kt	-6 °C	104 kt	17 h 34 min	8:18 pm PDT (03:18 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180	240° at 25 kt	+18 kt	-9 °C	102 kt	17 h 55 min	8:39 pm PDT (03:39 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240	250° at 31 kt	+25 kt	-19 °C	95 kt	19 h 14 min	9:58 pm PDT (04:58 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300	250° at 44 kt	+38 kt	-30 °C	82 kt	22 h 17 min	1:01 am PDT (08:01 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340	260° at 42 kt	+39 kt	-38 °C	81 kt	22 h 33 min	1:17 am PDT (08:17 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390	260° at 40 kt	+38 kt	-48 °C	82 kt	22 h 17 min	1:01 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

Point	From	3,000	6,000	9,000	12,000	18,000	24,000	30,000	34,000	39,000
TLH	used from 0 nm out; 98 nm from the line	340/23	350/26 17°	350/21 11°	300/13 6°	320/25 -6°	340/35 -16°	350/44 -32°	360/51 -42°	350/33 -52°
MOB	used from 50 nm out; 60 nm from the line	L/V	L/V 18°	020/8 11°	L/V 6°	330/12 -5°	330/23 -17°	330/30 -32°	350/39 -41°	340/40 -53°
JAN	used from 200 nm out; 28 nm from the line	240/10	260/15 18°	280/10 11°	290/6 6°	290/15 -5°	300/15 -17°	320/35 -30°	330/38 -40°	330/39 -51°
SHV	used from 349 nm out; 73 nm from the line	210/20	210/20 18°	230/20 11°	240/16 7°	270/17 -7°	250/11 -15°	300/34 -30°	310/34 -40°	320/36 -51°
DAL	used from 499 nm out; 98 nm from the line	190/30	200/28 18°	220/18 13°	250/13 8°	240/24 -6°	270/20 -14°	270/35 -29°	290/34 -39°	310/41 -51°
OKC	used from 599 nm out; 65 nm from the line	220/43	230/31 17°	260/13 16°	270/11 7°	240/20 -6°	250/32 -17°	260/60 -28°	280/50 -37°	290/45 -50°
SPS	used from 649 nm out; 44 nm from the line	220/35	220/31 18°	230/16 14°	230/10 8°	250/18 -5°	250/32 -16°	260/51 -28°	280/46 -38°	300/50 -50°
GAG	used from 749 nm out; 68 nm from the line		240/35 22°	240/27 14°	230/25 6°	240/38 -7°	230/44 -19°	250/73 -28°	270/66 -37°	270/58 -49°
AMA	used from 799 nm out; 37 nm from the line		230/32	230/28 14°	230/27 7°	230/38 -6°	230/50 -17°	250/69 -28°	260/62 -37°	270/65 -49°
TCC	used from 899 nm out; 54 nm from the line		240/20	230/22 13°	230/27 6°	230/40 -7°	240/55 -18°	240/74 -27°	240/68 -37°	250/64 -49°
ALS	used from 998 nm out; 78 nm from the line				240/35 3°	230/54 -9°	240/66 -19°	230/85 -26°	240/87 -34°	240/70 -47°
FMN	used from 1098 nm out; 62 nm from the line			220/16 6°	220/39 1°	220/50 -10°	230/67 -23°	230/94 -29°	230/102 -35°	230/90 -46°
BCE	used from 1298 nm out; 55 nm from the line				200/32 -2°	210/57 -15°	220/71 -22°	220/69 -30°	220/64 -38°	220/67 -44°
ELY	used from 1448 nm out; 88 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°
BIH	used from 1598 nm out; 77 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 1697 nm out; 61 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°
SAC	used from 1747 nm out; 51 nm from the line	L/V	L/V 4°	340/9 -4°	340/22 -8°	360/71 -12°	360/82 -23°	350/58 -37°	310/30 -40°	270/25 -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

Airport	Where	Conditions	Wind	Visibility	Ceiling	Elevation	Reported
ECP Panama City, FL	departure	VFR	from the northwest (310°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	68 ft	3:53 am CDT (08:53 UTC)
VPS Valparaiso/Destin-Ft Walton Beach, FL	40 nm out, 10 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	from the west-northwest (300°) at 6 knots	10+ mi	none	84 ft	08:55 UTC
MLU Monroe, LA	349 nm out, 13 nm south of the line, tower	VFR	calm	10+ mi	none	78 ft	08:53 UTC
TXK Texarkana, AR	459 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (190°) at 7 knots	10+ mi	none	389 ft	08:53 UTC
ADM Ardmore, OK	619 nm out, 3 nm southeast of the line, tower	reported, no category	calm		4,100 ft	776 ft	09:35 UTC
CSM Burns Flat, OK	739 nm out, 22 nm north of the line, tower	VFR	from the south (190°) at 15 knots	10+ mi	none	1,922 ft	08:53 UTC
AXX Angel Fire, NM	1038 nm out, 2 nm west of the line	VFR	from the west-southwest (250°) at 11 knots, gusting to 18	10+ mi	none	8,379 ft	09:35 UTC
FMN Farmington, NM	1178 nm out, 17 nm southwest of the line, tower	VFR	from the southeast (140°) at 5 knots	10+ mi	none	5,506 ft	08:53 UTC
BCE Bryce Canyon, UT	1378 nm out, 2 nm north of the line	low IFR Sky: a broken layer at 300 feet, overcast at 2,400 feet Weather: mist	from the south-southeast (150°) at 9 knots	5 mi	300 ft	7,589 ft	09:30 UTC
TPH Tonopah, NV	1608 nm out, 15 nm southwest of the line	VFR Sky: a few clouds at 2,800 feet, a broken layer at 3,700 feet, overcast at 6,000 feet	from the north-northeast (030°) at 3 knots	10+ mi	3,700 ft	5,430 ft	08:56 UTC
HTH Hawthorne, NV	1687 nm out, 5 nm north of the line	VFR	from the north-northwest (340°) at 10 knots	10+ mi	none	4,230 ft	09:35 UTC
SMF Sacramento, CA	destination	VFR	from the south-southwest (200°) at 4 knots	10+ mi	none	26 ft	1:53 am PDT (08:53 UTC)

The highest airport on this list sits at 8,379 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At SMF when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 6:54 pm PDT (01:54 UTC)

Wind from the north-northwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR

The whole forecast for SMF

From Sun 11:00 pm PDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
From Mon 5:00 am PDT (12:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet
From Mon 5:00 pm PDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies

The forecast for ECP, the departure

From Mon 1:00 am CDT (06:00 UTC): wind from the west at 3 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
From Mon 10:00 am CDT (15:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
From Mon 7:00 pm CDT (00:00 UTC): wind calm, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies

Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it

6/3475 BEALE AFB, CA, Sunday, March 8, 2026 through Sunday, November 1, 2026 Local 17 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · until 1 November · ZOA

Daylight

Sunset at ECP 6:15 pm CDT (23:15 UTC), at SMF 6:31 pm PDT (01:31 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:57 pm PDT (01:57 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at SMF is after sunset there (6:32 pm PDT (01:32 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 Southeast · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service

Radar now, the southern Plains · loop National Weather Service

Radar, the whole country · loop National Weather Service

Surface analysis now Weather Prediction Center

Forecast chart, 12 hours ahead Weather Prediction Center

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: Northwest Florida Beaches International, Sacramento International.