Ellison Onizuka Kona International AT Keahole to Sacramento International KOA → SMF
2,115 nautical miles (2,434 statute miles) northeast on a straight line, true course 050°, about 039° magnetic at the departure end (variation 11E). At 120 knots that is 17 h 46 min at the quickest height in today's winds (7,500 ft, a 1-knot headwind), arriving about 12:00 pm PDT (19:00 UTC). Right now KOA is VFR, wind from the west-southwest (250°) at 12 knots; SMF is VFR, wind from the south (190°) at 9 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: 1,042 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 25,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the route from 1925 to 1965 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: strong surface winds (30 knots or more) (due to sustained surface winds greater than 30 knots). Over the route from 1925 to 1995 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 KOA.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- UAL2372 at 33,000 ft, 26 nm southeast, 2:00 pm HST (00:00 UTC): -36 °C, wind 130° at 15 knots. 279 nm along the route, 26 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
ARP UAL2372 2221N 15153W 0000 F330 MS36 130/015KT
- Report
- a routine report filed through ARP
- UAL2623 at 36,000 ft, 42 nm southeast, 2:27 pm HST (00:27 UTC): -44 °C, wind 300° at 0 knots. 658 nm along the route, 42 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
ARP UAL2623 2600N 14610W 0027 F360 MS44 300/000KT
- Report
- a routine report filed through ARP
- UAL1224 at 34,000 ft, 42 nm southeast, 2:03 pm HST (00:03 UTC): -38 °C, wind 100° at 5 knots. 658 nm along the route, 42 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
ARP UAL1224 2600N 14610W 0003 F340 MS38 100/005KT
- Report
- a routine report filed through ARP
- KAI99 at 38,000 ft, 10 nm north, 2:40 pm HST (00:40 UTC): -49 °C, wind 349° at 33 knots. 1047 nm along the route, 10 nm north of the line.
as filed, and in English
ARP KAI99 3024N 14042W 0040 F380 MS49 349/033KT
- Report
- a routine report filed through ARP
- UAL1684 at 36,000 ft, 18 nm southeast, 2:51 pm HST (00:51 UTC): -43 °C, wind 360° at 50 knots. 1826 nm along the route, 18 nm southeast of the line.
as filed, and in English
ARP UAL1684 3628N 12656W 0051 F360 MS43 360/050KT
- Report
- a routine report filed through ARP
Winds aloft along the route, and the time en route the forecast for use 20:00–03:00 UTC · at 120 knots true airspeed
The eastbound cruising heights for this course (VFR: odd thousands plus 500 ft; above 18,000 ft the forecast levels), with the wind averaged along the line from the 2 forecast points nearest it (KOA, ITO). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,500 ft | 070° at 7 kt | +7 kt | 113 kt | 18 h 43 min | 12:57 pm PDT (19:57 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 350° at 6 kt | +3 kt | 117 kt | 18 h 05 min | 12:19 pm PDT (19:19 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 330° at 11 kt | +1 kt | 11 °C | 119 kt | 17 h 46 min | 12:00 pm PDT (19:00 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 330° at 17 kt | +2 kt | 9 °C | 118 kt | 17 h 55 min | 12:09 pm PDT (19:09 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 350° at 20 kt | +7 kt | 7 °C | 113 kt | 18 h 43 min | 12:57 pm PDT (19:57 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 350° at 27 kt | +10 kt | 6 °C | 110 kt | 19 h 14 min | 1:28 pm PDT (20:28 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 360° at 29 kt | +14 kt | 4 °C | 106 kt | 19 h 57 min | 2:11 pm PDT (21:11 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 030° at 21 kt | +19 kt | -1 °C | 101 kt | 20 h 56 min | 3:10 pm PDT (22:10 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 040° at 21 kt | +20 kt | -2 °C | 100 kt | 21 h 09 min | 3:23 pm PDT (22:23 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 060° at 17 kt | +17 kt | -14 °C | 103 kt | 20 h 32 min | 2:46 pm PDT (21:46 UTC) |
Based on data from the 11th at 18:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 00:00 UTC for use 20:00 to 03:00 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 | 1,000 | 1,500 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 15,000 | 18,000 | 24,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOA | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | L/V | L/V | L/V | 260/5 | L/V 16° | 360/15 11° | 360/34 7° | 360/34 4° | 040/21 -1° | 050/18 -15° |
| ITO | used from 50 nm out; 49 nm from the line | 070/7 | 070/8 | 070/7 | 080/9 | 340/7 12° | 330/16 10° | 350/21 6° | 350/32 5° | 040/21 -2° | 060/17 -14° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOA Kailua-Kona, HI | departure | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 4,000 feet | from the west-southwest (250°) at 12 knots | 10+ mi | none | 50 ft | 1:53 pm HST (23:53 UTC) |
| MUE Kamuela, HI | 30 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 2,671 ft | ||||
| STS Santa Rosa, CA | 2055 nm out, 12 nm north of the line, tower | VFR | from the south (180°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 128 ft | 00:53 UTC |
| SMF Sacramento, CA | destination | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 feet | from the south (190°) at 9 knots | 10+ mi | none | 26 ft | 5:53 pm PDT (00:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,671 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, 12:00 pm PDT (19:00 UTC)
Wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 25,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for SMF
- From Sun 5:00 pm PDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- 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
The forecast for KOA, the departure
- From Sun 2:00 pm HST (00:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, scattered clouds at 4,500 feet
- From Sun 8:00 pm HST (06:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 5,000 feet
- From Mon 10:00 am HST (20:00 UTC): wind from the west at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 4,500 feet
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
- 6/6740 SACRAMENTO, CA, Thursday, October 8, 2026 through Sunday, October 11, 2026 Local 9 nm from the route, at the destination end · air shows/sports · ended 11 October · ZOA
Daylight
Sunset at KOA 6:03 pm HST (04:03 UTC), at SMF 6:32 pm PDT (01:32 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:59 pm PDT (01:59 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: Ellison Onizuka Kona International AT Keahole, Sacramento International.