Reno/Tahoe International to Charles M Schulz/Sonoma County RNO → STS
154 nautical miles (177 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 248°, about 235° magnetic at the departure end (variation 13E). At 120 knots that is 1 h 15 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 3-knot tailwind), arriving about 9:48 pm PDT (04:48 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now RNO is VFR, wind from the west-northwest (290°) at 5 knots; STS is VFR, wind from the south-southeast (150°) at 3 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
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the whole 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 RNO.
Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first
- E75L at 34,000 ft, 40 nm northwest, 6:25 pm PDT (01:25 UTC): moderate chop turbulence, remarks: entered by zoa fdcs. 106 nm along the route, 40 nm northwest of the line.
as filed, and in English
RNO UA /OV RBL160040/TM 0125/FL340/TP E75L/TB MOD CHOP/RM ENTERED BY ZOA FDCS
- Report
- a routine report filed through RNO
- Where
- 40 nm south (160°) of RBL
- Time
- 01:25 UTC
- Height
- at 34,000 ft
- Aircraft
- E75L
- Turbulence
- moderate chop
- Remarks
- entered by zoa fdcs
- B38M descending, 9 nm south, 6:28 pm PDT (01:28 UTC): light chop turbulence, remarks: during the descent runway 35L rno. At the departure end, 9 nm south of the line.
as filed, and in English
RNO UA /OV KRNO167009/TM 0128/FLUNKN/TP B38M/TB OCNL LGT CHOP/RM DURD RY35L RNO
- Report
- a routine report filed through RNO
- Where
- 9 nm south (167°) of KRNO
- Time
- 01:28 UTC
- Height
- height not given
- Aircraft
- B38M
- Turbulence
- occasional light chop
- Remarks
- during the descent runway 35L rno
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 2 forecast points nearest it (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 | 050° at 3 kt | −3 kt | 123 kt | 1 h 15 min | 9:48 pm PDT (04:48 UTC) | |
| 6,500 ft | 360° at 4 kt | −2 kt | 3 °C | 122 kt | 1 h 16 min | 9:49 pm PDT (04:49 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 360° at 9 kt | −3 kt | -1 °C | 123 kt | 1 h 15 min | 9:48 pm PDT (04:48 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 330° at 6 kt | 0 | -5 °C | 120 kt | 1 h 17 min | 9:50 pm PDT (04:50 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 290° at 6 kt | +4 kt | -9 °C | 116 kt | 1 h 20 min | 9:53 pm PDT (04:53 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 290° at 8 kt | +5 kt | -12 °C | 115 kt | 1 h 20 min | 9:53 pm PDT (04:53 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 300° at 11 kt | +7 kt | -15 °C | 113 kt | 1 h 22 min | 9:55 pm PDT (04:55 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 300° at 13 kt | +8 kt | -17 °C | 112 kt | 1 h 22 min | 9:55 pm PDT (04:55 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 340° at 23 kt | −2 kt | -24 °C | 122 kt | 1 h 16 min | 9:49 pm PDT (04:49 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 300° at 18 kt | +11 kt | -30 °C | 109 kt | 1 h 25 min | 9:58 pm PDT (04:58 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 250° at 26 kt | +25 kt | -34 °C | 95 kt | 1 h 37 min | 10:10 pm PDT (05:10 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 230° at 28 kt | +26 kt | -43 °C | 94 kt | 1 h 38 min | 10:11 pm PDT (05:11 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
| Point | From | 3,000 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 18,000 | 24,000 | 30,000 | 34,000 | 39,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RNO | used from 0 nm out; 24 nm from the line | 010/9 | 320/10 -2° | 210/23 -9° | 210/34 -19° | 220/36 -25° | 230/31 -29° | 230/41 -33° | 230/38 -42° | |
| SAC | used from 48 nm out; 35 nm from the line | 110/6 | L/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
| Airport | Where | Conditions | Wind | Visibility | Ceiling | Elevation | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RNO Reno, NV | departure | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 9,000 feet | from the west-northwest (290°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | none | 4,414 ft | 7:55 pm PDT (02:55 UTC) |
| TRK Truckee, CA | 19 nm out, 4 nm south of the line, tower | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 4,900 feet | calm | 10+ mi | none | 5,904 ft | 03:15 UTC |
| SMF Sacramento, CA | 96 nm out, 12 nm south of the line, tower | VFR Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 feet | from the south-southwest (210°) at 7 knots | 10+ mi | none | 26 ft | 02:53 UTC |
| DWA Davis/Woodland/Winters, CA | 115 nm out, 15 nm southeast of the line | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 4,800 feet | from the south (170°) at 8 knots | 10+ mi | 4,800 ft | 100 ft | 03:15 UTC |
| STS Santa Rosa, CA | destination | VFR | from the south-southeast (150°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 128 ft | 7:53 pm PDT (02:53 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 5,904 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At STS when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 9:48 pm PDT (04:48 UTC)
Wind from the south-southeast at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies VFR
The whole forecast for STS
- From Sun 5:00 pm PDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 12:00 am PDT (07:00 UTC): wind from the west-northwest at 2 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 1:00 pm PDT (20:00 UTC): wind from the south-southwest at 6 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
The forecast for RNO, the departure
- From Sun 5:00 pm PDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the northwest at 12 knots, gusting to 22, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 8,000 feet
- From Sun 10:00 pm PDT (05:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 6,000 feet
- From Mon 6:00 am PDT (13:00 UTC): wind from the north-northwest at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 4,000 feet
- From Mon 11:00 am PDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the north at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, showers nearby, a broken layer at 5,000 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 on the route, 77 nm along the route · security · until 1 November · ZOA
- 6/6740 SACRAMENTO, CA, Thursday, October 8, 2026 through Sunday, October 11, 2026 Local 19 nm from the route, 87 nm along the route · air shows/sports · ended 11 October · ZOA
Daylight
Sunset at RNO 6:24 pm PDT (01:24 UTC), at STS 6:37 pm PDT (01:37 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:04 pm PDT (02:04 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at STS is after sunset there (6:39 pm PDT (01:39 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: Reno/Tahoe International, Charles M Schulz/Sonoma County.