Tucson International to Santa Barbara Municipal TUS → SBA
468 nautical miles (538 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 290°, about 281° magnetic at the departure end (variation 9E). At 120 knots that is 4 h 02 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 4-knot headwind), arriving about 9:52 pm PDT (04:52 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: 3 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 W69W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 34,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 6:55 pm MST (01:55 UTC). Over the first 139 nm of the route.
as issued
WSUS33 KKCI 112355 MKCW WST 112355 CONVECTIVE SIGMET 69W VALID UNTIL 0155Z TX NM AZ FROM 50ENE PGS-60SE ABQ-20ENE ELP-70SSW SSO-50SE BZA-50ENE PGS AREA TS MOV FROM 23040KT. TOPS TO FL340.
- AIRMET TANGO 2W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 35,000 ft to 45,000 ft. Over the first 10 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Near the route, 219 nm along the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 12,000 ft. Over the route from 229 to 378 nm out.
- AIRMET SIERRA 6E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 289 to 398 nm out.
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 TUS.
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 5 forecast points nearest it (TUS, PHX, BLH, ONT, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,500 ft | 210° at 17 kt | +4 kt | 15 °C | 116 kt | 4 h 02 min | 9:52 pm PDT (04:52 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 210° at 20 kt | +4 kt | 10 °C | 116 kt | 4 h 02 min | 9:52 pm PDT (04:52 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 220° at 23 kt | +8 kt | 6 °C | 112 kt | 4 h 11 min | 10:01 pm PDT (05:01 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 220° at 28 kt | +11 kt | 2 °C | 109 kt | 4 h 18 min | 10:08 pm PDT (05:08 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 220° at 33 kt | +13 kt | -1 °C | 107 kt | 4 h 22 min | 10:12 pm PDT (05:12 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 220° at 36 kt | +13 kt | -4 °C | 107 kt | 4 h 22 min | 10:12 pm PDT (05:12 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 220° at 39 kt | +14 kt | -8 °C | 106 kt | 4 h 25 min | 10:15 pm PDT (05:15 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 220° at 42 kt | +14 kt | -10 °C | 106 kt | 4 h 25 min | 10:15 pm PDT (05:15 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 220° at 54 kt | +24 kt | -19 °C | 96 kt | 4 h 52 min | 10:42 pm PDT (05:42 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 220° at 61 kt | +23 kt | -28 °C | 97 kt | 4 h 49 min | 10:39 pm PDT (05:39 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 220° at 64 kt | +27 kt | -34 °C | 93 kt | 5 h 02 min | 10:52 pm PDT (05:52 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 220° at 58 kt | +24 kt | -45 °C | 96 kt | 4 h 52 min | 10:42 pm PDT (05:42 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
| Point | From | 3,000 | 6,000 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 18,000 | 24,000 | 30,000 | 34,000 | 39,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TUS | used from 0 nm out; 25 nm from the line | 220/17 15° | 210/32 7° | 210/43 5° | 210/49 -7° | 220/64 -18° | 220/83 -26° | 230/81 -36° | 230/72 -48° | |
| PHX | used from 50 nm out; 57 nm from the line | 210/19 | 210/20 14° | 200/20 6° | 210/40 1° | 220/58 -8° | 220/68 -20° | 220/82 -26° | 230/83 -34° | 230/69 -46° |
| BLH | used from 149 nm out; 43 nm from the line | 230/22 | 210/24 11° | 230/23 5° | 230/26 0° | 220/38 -10° | 230/52 -19° | 220/58 -28° | 220/69 -34° | 220/59 -45° |
| ONT | used from 298 nm out; 32 nm from the line | 230/11 | 200/17 6° | 230/27 4° | 230/32 -2° | 210/39 -12° | 220/51 -20° | 220/48 -29° | 210/51 -34° | 210/52 -44° |
| SBA | used from 398 nm out; 45 nm from the line | L/V | 170/13 7° | 220/23 4° | 220/30 -2° | 230/26 -14° | 230/34 -20° | 220/38 -28° | 220/37 -35° | 220/43 -44° |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TUS Tucson, AZ | departure | no report just now | 2,643 ft | ||||
| AVQ Marana, AZ | 20 nm out, 12 nm northeast of the line | no report just now | 2,031 ft | ||||
| BLH Blythe, CA | 209 nm out, 25 nm north of the line | no report just now | 399 ft | ||||
| TRM Palm Springs, CA | 279 nm out, 4 nm north of the line | no report just now | -114 ft | ||||
| PSP Palm Springs, CA | 298 nm out, 10 nm north of the line, tower | no report just now | 476 ft | ||||
| RIV Riverside, CA | 338 nm out, 4 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 1,536 ft | ||||
| EMT El Monte, CA | 378 nm out, 5 nm northeast of the line, tower | no report just now | 295 ft | ||||
| CMA Camarillo, CA | 428 nm out, 3 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 76 ft | ||||
| SBA Santa Barbara, CA | destination | no report just now | 13 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 2,643 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At SBA when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 9:52 pm PDT (04:52 UTC)
SBA has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
Temporary flight restrictions on the line or within 25 nm of it
- 6/4812 El Centro, CA, Wednesday, July 15, 2026 through Tuesday, July 13, 2027 Local 22 nm from the route, 259 nm along the route · security · until 13 July · ZLA
- 6/8887 Indio, CA, Sunday, October 11, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 Local 6 nm from the route, 279 nm along the route · security · until 12 October · ZLA
- 4/3635 DISNEYLAND THEME PARK, ANAHEIM,, CA 8 nm from the route, 368 nm along the route · security · ZLA
Daylight
Sunset at TUS 5:55 pm MST (00:55 UTC), at SBA 6:28 pm PDT (01:28 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:54 pm PDT (01:54 UTC)). At 120 knots the arrival at SBA is after sunset there (6:30 pm PDT (01:30 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: Tucson International, Santa Barbara Municipal.