San Luis Obispo County Regional to Meadows Field SBP → BFL
79 nautical miles (90 statute miles) east on a straight line, true course 081°, about 066° magnetic at the departure end (variation 15E). At 120 knots that is 29 min at the quickest height in today's winds (34,000 ft, a 41-knot tailwind), arriving about 6:38 am PDT (13:38 UTC), after sunset at the destination. Right now SBP is VFR, wind from the east-southeast (110°) at 3 knots; BFL is VFR, wind from the northeast (040°) at 5 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 first 69 nm of the route.
- AIRMET SIERRA 2E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Near the route, 59 nm along 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 SBP.
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 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 1 forecast point nearest it (SBA). 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 | 220° at 2 kt | −1 kt | 121 kt | 39 min | 6:48 am PDT (13:48 UTC) | |
| 5,500 ft | 220° at 8 kt | −6 kt | 126 kt | 38 min | 6:47 am PDT (13:47 UTC) | |
| 7,500 ft | 230° at 12 kt | −11 kt | 2 °C | 131 kt | 36 min | 6:45 am PDT (13:45 UTC) |
| 9,500 ft | 240° at 16 kt | −15 kt | 0 °C | 135 kt | 35 min | 6:44 am PDT (13:44 UTC) |
| 11,500 ft | 240° at 18 kt | −17 kt | -2 °C | 137 kt | 35 min | 6:44 am PDT (13:44 UTC) |
| 13,500 ft | 250° at 20 kt | −20 kt | -6 °C | 140 kt | 34 min | 6:43 am PDT (13:43 UTC) |
| 15,500 ft | 250° at 22 kt | −22 kt | -9 °C | 142 kt | 33 min | 6:42 am PDT (13:42 UTC) |
| 17,500 ft | 260° at 24 kt | −24 kt | -12 °C | 144 kt | 33 min | 6:42 am PDT (13:42 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 260° at 25 kt | −25 kt | -13 °C | 145 kt | 33 min | 6:42 am PDT (13:42 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 260° at 27 kt | −27 kt | -24 °C | 147 kt | 32 min | 6:41 am PDT (13:41 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 230° at 37 kt | −32 kt | -31 °C | 152 kt | 31 min | 6:40 am PDT (13:40 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 220° at 54 kt | −41 kt | -37 °C | 161 kt | 29 min | 6:38 am PDT (13:38 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 220° at 52 kt | −39 kt | -45 °C | 159 kt | 30 min | 6:39 am PDT (13:39 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBA | used from 0 nm out; 55 nm from the line | L/V | 220/9 2° | 240/16 1° | 240/19 -3° | 260/25 -13° | 260/27 -24° | 230/37 -31° | 220/54 -37° | 220/52 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBP San Luis Obispo, CA | departure | VFR Sky: scattered clouds at 6,500 feet | from the east-southeast (110°) at 3 knots | 10+ mi | none | 212 ft | 5:56 am PDT (12:56 UTC) |
| BFL Bakersfield, CA | destination | VFR Sky: a broken layer at 7,000 feet, overcast at 8,500 feet | from the northeast (040°) at 5 knots | 10+ mi | 7,000 ft | 509 ft | 5:54 am PDT (12:54 UTC) |
The highest airport on this list sits at 509 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, 6:38 am PDT (13:38 UTC)
Wind from the north at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 5,000 feet, a broken layer at 6,000 feet VFR
The whole forecast for BFL
- From Mon 5:00 am PDT (12:00 UTC): wind from the north at 7 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 5,000 feet, a broken layer at 6,000 feet
- From Mon 2:00 pm PDT (21:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet
The forecast for SBP, the departure
- From Mon 5:00 am PDT (12:00 UTC): wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a broken layer at 5,000 feet
- From Mon 12:00 pm PDT (19:00 UTC): wind from the south at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
- From Mon 2:00 pm PDT (21:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 9 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
No temporary flight restriction on or near this route right now.
Daylight
Sunset at SBP 6:30 pm PDT (01:30 UTC), at BFL 6:23 pm PDT (01:23 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:49 pm PDT (01:49 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at BFL is before sunrise there (6:59 am PDT (13:59 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: San Luis Obispo County Regional, Meadows Field.