The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Mon 12:19 am CDT (05:19 UTC)

Kansas City International to Sacramento International MCI → SMF

1,250 nautical miles (1,439 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 277°, about 275° magnetic at the departure end (variation 2E). At 120 knots that is 12 h 08 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 17-knot headwind), arriving about 10:27 am PDT (17:27 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: 416 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 W14W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 28,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 1:55 am CDT (06:55 UTC). Over the route from 962 to 1062 nm out.
    as issued
    WSUS33 KKCI 120455
    MKCW WST 120455
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 14W
    VALID UNTIL 0655Z
    NV
    FROM 40NW BVL-20WNW ELY-20SSE OAL-40WNW OAL-50NE BAM-40NW BVL
    AREA TS MOV FROM 24020KT. TOPS TO FL280.
  • 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 377 nm of the route.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 38,000 ft. Over the route from 377 to 794 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the route from 387 to 962 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 486 to 665 nm out.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 585 to 1052 nm out.
  • AIRMET ZULU 2C: moderate icing up to 23,000 ft. Over the route from 665 to 1062 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the last 89 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 MCI.

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 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 11 forecast points nearest it (MKC, SLN, GRI, GLD, DEN, GJT, SLC, ELY, BAM, RNO, SAC). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft230° at 26 kt+17 kt21 °C103 kt12 h 08 min10:27 am PDT (17:27 UTC)
6,500 ft230° at 24 kt+18 kt16 °C102 kt12 h 15 min10:34 am PDT (17:34 UTC)
8,500 ft230° at 23 kt+17 kt8 °C103 kt12 h 08 min10:27 am PDT (17:27 UTC)
10,500 ft230° at 24 kt+18 kt4 °C102 kt12 h 15 min10:34 am PDT (17:34 UTC)
12,500 ft230° at 26 kt+20 kt0 °C100 kt12 h 30 min10:49 am PDT (17:49 UTC)
14,500 ft230° at 29 kt+21 kt-4 °C99 kt12 h 38 min10:57 am PDT (17:57 UTC)
16,500 ft220° at 31 kt+22 kt-8 °C98 kt12 h 45 min11:04 am PDT (18:04 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180220° at 33 kt+23 kt-11 °C97 kt12 h 53 min11:12 am PDT (18:12 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240220° at 40 kt+27 kt-22 °C93 kt13 h 26 min11:45 am PDT (18:45 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300230° at 52 kt+41 kt-29 °C79 kt15 h 49 min2:08 pm PDT (21:08 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340230° at 55 kt+47 kt-35 °C73 kt17 h 07 min3:26 pm PDT (22:26 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390240° at 51 kt+43 kt-45 °C77 kt16 h 14 min2:33 pm PDT (21:33 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
MKCused from 0 nm out; 33 nm from the line220/44250/28 18°250/18 13°240/12 6°280/24 -6°240/34 -18°260/47 -30°260/51 -40°270/58 -50°
SLNused from 50 nm out; 74 nm from the line210/53230/41 20°240/26 14°230/16 8°240/25 -7°240/35 -19°250/61 -30°260/65 -38°260/56 -49°
GRIused from 198 nm out; 96 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°
GLDused from 248 nm out; 55 nm from the line230/49230/42 15°220/26 8°240/18 -7°230/27 -21°240/62 -30°240/61 -35°250/57 -47°
DENused from 397 nm out; 40 nm from the line240/21 14°250/44 6°220/49 -8°220/49 -21°230/54 -30°240/57 -35°240/49 -45°
GJTused from 546 nm out; 80 nm from the line210/43 7°230/45 1°220/49 -12°220/62 -22°220/59 -28°230/60 -33°220/55 -45°
SLCused from 744 nm out; 74 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 843 nm out; 66 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 992 nm out; 80 nm from the line310/7 0°270/19 -7°200/38 -17°190/49 -28°220/69 -29°220/63 -33°230/48 -41°
RNOused from 1091 nm out; 54 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 1191 nm out; 34 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°

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
MCI Kansas City, MO departure no report just now 1,027 ft
TOP Topeka, KS 40 nm out, 19 nm south of the line, tower no report just now 881 ft
CNK Concordia, KS 139 nm out, 2 nm east of the line no report just now 1,488 ft
SYF St Francis, KS 327 nm out, 2 nm northwest of the line no report just now 3,429 ft
CFO Denver, CO 456 nm out, 1 nm southeast of the line, tower no report just now 5,515 ft
EGE Eagle, CO 565 nm out, 9 nm south of the line, tower no report just now 6,547 ft
PUC Price, UT 744 nm out, 5 nm south of the line no report just now 5,957 ft
DTA Delta, UT 823 nm out, 13 nm south of the line no report just now 4,759 ft
ELY Ely, NV 933 nm out, 8 nm south of the line no report just now 6,259 ft
GAB Gabbs, NV 1081 nm out, 13 nm south of the line no report just now 4,699 ft
TVL South Lake Tahoe, CA 1171 nm out, 4 nm west of the line no report just now 6,268 ft
SMF Sacramento, CA destination no report just now 26 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 6,547 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, 10:27 am PDT (17:27 UTC)

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

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 15 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · until 1 November · ZOA

Daylight

Sunset at MCI 6:44 pm CDT (23:44 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

Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley
Radar now, the upper Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the southern Plains
Radar now, the southern Plains · 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: Kansas City International, Sacramento International.