The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Sun 6:15 pm PDT (01:15 UTC)

San Francisco International to Ellison Onizuka Kona International AT Keahole SFO → KOA

2,056 nautical miles (2,366 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 248°, about 234° magnetic at the departure end (variation 14E). At 120 knots that is 17 h 17 min at the quickest height in today's winds (6,500 ft, a 1-knot headwind), arriving about 8:32 am HST (18:32 UTC). Right now SFO is VFR, wind from the west-southwest (240°) at 13 knots; KOA is VFR, wind from the west-southwest (250°) at 12 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: 2,291 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

  • AIRMET TANGO 2W: strong surface winds (30 knots or more) (due to sustained surface winds greater than 30 knots). Over the route from 80 to 130 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 25,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Near the route, 130 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 SFO.

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 20:00–03:00 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 (SFO, FOT). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft220° at 5 kt+5 kt115 kt17 h 53 min9:08 am HST (19:08 UTC)
6,500 ft290° at 1 kt+1 kt4 °C119 kt17 h 17 min8:32 am HST (18:32 UTC)
8,500 ft280° at 6 kt+4 kt2 °C116 kt17 h 43 min8:58 am HST (18:58 UTC)
10,500 ft270° at 11 kt+9 kt-1 °C111 kt18 h 31 min9:46 am HST (19:46 UTC)
12,500 ft270° at 15 kt+13 kt-4 °C107 kt19 h 13 min10:28 am HST (20:28 UTC)
14,500 ft280° at 18 kt+13 kt-8 °C107 kt19 h 13 min10:28 am HST (20:28 UTC)
16,500 ft290° at 21 kt+14 kt-11 °C106 kt19 h 24 min10:39 am HST (20:39 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180290° at 23 kt+14 kt-14 °C106 kt19 h 24 min10:39 am HST (20:39 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240310° at 29 kt+9 kt-24 °C111 kt18 h 31 min9:46 am HST (19:46 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300280° at 26 kt+19 kt-28 °C101 kt20 h 21 min11:36 am HST (21:36 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340250° at 30 kt+29 kt-34 °C91 kt22 h 36 min1:51 pm HST (23:51 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390250° at 36 kt+35 kt-43 °C85 kt24 h 11 min3:26 pm HST (01:26 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
SFOused from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line220/11L/V 5°280/7 1°270/15 -3°290/23 -14°310/29 -24°280/26 -28°250/30 -34°250/36 -43°
FOTused from 2046 nm out; 2051 nm from the line360/29020/22 5°020/29 0°010/40 -5°010/61 -14°010/90 -24°360/81 -36°340/55 -38°320/34 -41°

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
SFO San Francisco, CA departure VFR Sky: a few clouds at 2,000 feet, a few clouds at 5,000 feet from the west-southwest (240°) at 13 knots 10+ mi none 13 ft 5:56 pm PDT (00:56 UTC)
MUE Kamuela, HI 2026 nm out, 4 nm southwest of the line no report just now 2,671 ft
KOA Kailua-Kona, HI destination 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)

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 KOA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 8:32 am HST (18:32 UTC)

Wind light and variable, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 5,000 feet VFR

The whole forecast for KOA
  • 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
The forecast for SFO, the departure
  • From Sun 5:00 pm PDT (00:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 16 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 2,000 feet
  • From Sun 7:00 pm PDT (02:00 UTC): wind from the west-southwest at 8 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, a few clouds at 2,000 feet
  • From Mon 1:00 am PDT (08:00 UTC): wind from the south-southeast at 4 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
  • From Mon 11:00 am PDT (18:00 UTC): wind from the east-northeast at 5 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies
  • From Mon 3:00 pm PDT (22:00 UTC): wind from the west at 10 knots, visibility more than 6 miles, clear skies

Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it

  • 6/7231 Santa Clara, CA, Sunday, October 11, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 22 nm from the route, at the departure end · drones kept away from a public gathering · until 12 October · ZOA

Daylight

Sunset at SFO 6:36 pm PDT (01:36 UTC), at KOA 6:03 pm HST (04:03 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:25 pm HST (04:25 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 Pacific Southwest
Radar now, the Pacific Southwest · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, Hawaii
Radar now, Hawaii · 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: San Francisco International, Ellison Onizuka Kona International AT Keahole.