Santa FE Regional to Scottsbluff/Western Nebraska Rgnl/Wm B Heilig Field SAF → BFF
393 nautical miles (453 statute miles) north on a straight line, true course 016°, about 008° magnetic at the departure end (variation 8E). At 120 knots that is 2 h 20 min at the quickest height in today's winds (30,000 ft, a 49-knot tailwind), arriving about 1:41 am MDT (07:41 UTC), after sunset at the destination. 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 7C: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 34,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 12:55 am MDT (06:55 UTC). Over the first 197 nm of the route.
as issued
WSUS32 KKCI 120455 MKCC WST 120455 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 7C VALID UNTIL 0655Z TX OK CO NM FROM 40NNW PUB-70WSW LBL-40NE CME-40ESE RSK-30ENE HBU-40NNW PUB AREA TS MOV FROM 22040KT. TOPS TO FL340.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 35,000 ft to 45,000 ft. Over the first 138 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the first 374 nm of the route.
- 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 108 to 207 nm out.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 38,000 ft. Over the last 246 nm of the route.
- 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). Near the route, at the destination end.
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 SAF.
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 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 5 forecast points nearest it (ABQ, ALS, PUB, DEN, BFF). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.
| Height | Average wind | Head- or tailwind | Temperature | Ground speed | Time en route | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7,500 ft | 230° at 23 kt | −20 kt | 13 °C | 140 kt | 2 h 48 min | 2:09 am MDT (08:09 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 230° at 26 kt | −22 kt | 12 °C | 142 kt | 2 h 46 min | 2:07 am MDT (08:07 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 230° at 35 kt | −28 kt | 6 °C | 148 kt | 2 h 39 min | 2:00 am MDT (08:00 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 230° at 39 kt | −33 kt | 2 °C | 153 kt | 2 h 34 min | 1:55 am MDT (07:55 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 230° at 42 kt | −37 kt | -3 °C | 157 kt | 2 h 30 min | 1:51 am MDT (07:51 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 220° at 46 kt | −42 kt | -8 °C | 162 kt | 2 h 26 min | 1:47 am MDT (07:47 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 47 kt | −43 kt | -8 °C | 163 kt | 2 h 25 min | 1:46 am MDT (07:46 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 230° at 53 kt | −46 kt | -21 °C | 166 kt | 2 h 22 min | 1:43 am MDT (07:43 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 240° at 63 kt | −49 kt | -28 °C | 169 kt | 2 h 20 min | 1:41 am MDT (07:41 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 240° at 64 kt | −47 kt | -34 °C | 167 kt | 2 h 21 min | 1:42 am MDT (07:42 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 240° at 54 kt | −40 kt | -45 °C | 160 kt | 2 h 27 min | 1:48 am MDT (07:48 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABQ | used from 0 nm out; 67 nm from the line | 220/27 11° | 210/35 5° | 220/46 -9° | 230/62 -20° | 240/78 -25° | 240/80 -35° | 240/56 -47° | ||
| ALS | used from 49 nm out; 40 nm from the line | 230/37 4° | 220/54 -9° | 230/62 -22° | 240/77 -26° | 240/74 -33° | 230/59 -45° | |||
| PUB | used from 148 nm out; 26 nm from the line | 230/25 13° | 230/32 6° | 220/44 -8° | 230/49 -21° | 240/70 -28° | 240/67 -34° | 240/58 -46° | ||
| DEN | used from 197 nm out; 43 nm from the line | 240/21 14° | 250/44 6° | 220/49 -8° | 220/49 -21° | 230/54 -30° | 240/57 -35° | 240/49 -45° | ||
| BFF | used from 344 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 180/28 | 220/33 15° | 210/31 7° | 230/32 -9° | 220/41 -21° | 220/40 -33° | 240/47 -36° | 250/54 -46° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAF Santa Fe, NM | departure | no report just now | 6,348 ft | ||||
| SKX Taos, NM | 49 nm out, 7 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 7,094 ft | ||||
| ALS Alamosa, CO | 108 nm out, 21 nm west of the line | no report just now | 7,539 ft | ||||
| COS Colorado Springs, CO | 207 nm out, 9 nm southeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 6,187 ft | ||||
| APA Denver, CO | 246 nm out, 13 nm west of the line, tower | no report just now | 5,884 ft | ||||
| CFO Denver, CO | 266 nm out, 5 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 5,515 ft | ||||
| IBM Kimball, NE | 354 nm out, 9 nm southeast of the line | no report just now | 4,925 ft | ||||
| BFF Scottsbluff, NE | destination | no report just now | 3,967 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 7,539 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At BFF when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 1:41 am MDT (07:41 UTC)
BFF has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/8784 LAKE GEORGE, CO, Sunday, October 11, 2026 through Tuesday, October 13, 2026 UTC 24 nm from the route, 197 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · until 13 October · ZDV
Daylight
Sunset at SAF 6:33 pm MDT (00:33 UTC), at BFF 6:17 pm MDT (00:17 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:45 pm MDT (00:45 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at BFF is before sunrise there (7:03 am MDT (13:03 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: Santa FE Regional, Scottsbluff/Western Nebraska Rgnl/Wm B Heilig Field.