EL Paso International to Meadows Field ELP → BFL
670 nautical miles (771 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 292°, about 284° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 5 h 41 min at the quickest height in today's winds (8,500 ft, a 2-knot headwind), arriving about 10:17 am PDT (17:17 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: 9 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 SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 210 to 340 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 2E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Near the route, 360 nm along the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 12,000 ft. Over the route from 530 to 610 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 2E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 570 to 660 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 ELP.
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 7 forecast points nearest it (ELP, TUS, PHX, PRC, BLH, ONT, WJF). 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 | 210° at 15 kt | +4 kt | 9 °C | 116 kt | 5 h 47 min | 10:23 am PDT (17:23 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 210° at 19 kt | +4 kt | 9 °C | 116 kt | 5 h 47 min | 10:23 am PDT (17:23 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 200° at 27 kt | +2 kt | 5 °C | 118 kt | 5 h 41 min | 10:17 am PDT (17:17 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 210° at 30 kt | +4 kt | 3 °C | 116 kt | 5 h 47 min | 10:23 am PDT (17:23 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 210° at 33 kt | +8 kt | 0 °C | 112 kt | 5 h 59 min | 10:35 am PDT (17:35 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 220° at 38 kt | +13 kt | -4 °C | 107 kt | 6 h 16 min | 10:52 am PDT (17:52 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 220° at 44 kt | +18 kt | -7 °C | 102 kt | 6 h 34 min | 11:10 am PDT (18:10 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 230° at 48 kt | +22 kt | -9 °C | 98 kt | 6 h 50 min | 11:26 am PDT (18:26 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 220° at 62 kt | +23 kt | -19 °C | 97 kt | 6 h 54 min | 11:30 am PDT (18:30 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 74 kt | +26 kt | -28 °C | 94 kt | 7 h 08 min | 11:44 am PDT (18:44 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 220° at 79 kt | +31 kt | -37 °C | 89 kt | 7 h 32 min | 12:08 pm PDT (19:08 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 220° at 77 kt | +29 kt | -47 °C | 91 kt | 7 h 22 min | 11:58 am PDT (18:58 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELP | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 300/8 | 210/14 12° | 210/28 6° | 230/47 -6° | 230/56 -14° | 220/58 -27° | 230/60 -38° | 230/56 -50° | |
| TUS | used from 100 nm out; 119 nm from the line | 200/12 13° | 200/34 7° | 210/41 4° | 230/53 -7° | 220/69 -19° | 220/84 -27° | 220/88 -36° | 220/83 -48° | |
| PHX | used from 250 nm out; 28 nm from the line | 190/15 | 210/25 12° | 200/34 4° | 200/34 2° | 220/58 -9° | 220/75 -19° | 220/91 -28° | 220/100 -35° | 220/95 -47° |
| PRC | used from 350 nm out; 60 nm from the line | 200/37 6° | 200/35 0° | 220/60 -11° | 220/71 -20° | 220/88 -29° | 220/98 -35° | 220/94 -45° | ||
| BLH | used from 400 nm out; 44 nm from the line | 240/19 | 210/20 10° | 200/27 4° | 210/34 -2° | 220/59 -10° | 220/67 -20° | 220/75 -29° | 230/78 -38° | 220/90 -47° |
| ONT | used from 500 nm out; 80 nm from the line | 250/11 | 200/20 4° | 210/27 3° | 220/26 -4° | 240/32 -13° | 220/52 -21° | 220/67 -30° | 220/72 -37° | 220/65 -46° |
| WJF | used from 550 nm out; 53 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° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELP El Paso, TX | departure | no report just now | 3,961 ft | ||||
| DNA Santa Teresa, NM | 20 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 4,112 ft | ||||
| DMN Deming, NM | 70 nm out, 4 nm west of the line | no report just now | 4,314 ft | ||||
| SAD Safford, AZ | 180 nm out, 4 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 3,178 ft | ||||
| SDL Scottsdale, AZ | 300 nm out, 2 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,510 ft | ||||
| HII Lake Havasu City, AZ | 430 nm out, 17 nm north of the line | no report just now | 782 ft | ||||
| DAG Daggett, CA | 550 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 1,930 ft | ||||
| MHV Mojave, CA | 620 nm out, 10 nm south of the line, tower | no report just now | 2,801 ft | ||||
| BFL Bakersfield, CA | destination | no report just now | 509 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 4,314 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At BFL when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:17 am PDT (17:17 UTC)
BFL has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8891 Bullhead City, AZ, Wednesday, October 14, 2026 Local 17 nm from the route, 450 nm along the route · a VIP movement · starts Wednesday 14 October · ZLA
- 6/8783 38NM NE BAKERSFIELD, CA, Saturday, October 10, 2026 through Friday, October 23, 2026 UTC 22 nm from the route, 640 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · until 23 October · ZLA
Daylight
Sunset at ELP 6:35 pm MDT (00:35 UTC), at BFL 6:23 pm PDT (01:23 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: EL Paso International, Meadows Field.