Van Nuys Airport to Sacramento International VNY → SMF
308 nautical miles (355 statute miles) northwest on a straight line, true course 332°, about 320° magnetic at the departure end (variation 12E). At 120 knots that is 2 h 30 min at the quickest height in today's winds (8,500 ft, a 3-knot tailwind), arriving about 10:12 am PDT (17:12 UTC). 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 SIERRA 2E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the first 10 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the last 298 nm of the route.
- AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 12,000 ft. Near the route, at the departure 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 VNY.
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 14:00–21:00 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 3 forecast points nearest it (WJF, FAT, 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 | 230° at 6 kt | −1 kt | 3 °C | 121 kt | 2 h 33 min | 10:15 am PDT (17:15 UTC) |
| 6,500 ft | 220° at 6 kt | −2 kt | 2 °C | 122 kt | 2 h 31 min | 10:13 am PDT (17:13 UTC) |
| 8,500 ft | 210° at 5 kt | −3 kt | -2 °C | 123 kt | 2 h 30 min | 10:12 am PDT (17:12 UTC) |
| 10,500 ft | 240° at 5 kt | 0 | -4 °C | 120 kt | 2 h 34 min | 10:16 am PDT (17:16 UTC) |
| 12,500 ft | 290° at 8 kt | +6 kt | -6 °C | 114 kt | 2 h 42 min | 10:24 am PDT (17:24 UTC) |
| 14,500 ft | 320° at 17 kt | +17 kt | -8 °C | 103 kt | 2 h 59 min | 10:41 am PDT (17:41 UTC) |
| 16,500 ft | 330° at 28 kt | +28 kt | -10 °C | 92 kt | 3 h 21 min | 11:03 am PDT (18:03 UTC) |
| 18,000 ft FL180 | 340° at 37 kt | +37 kt | -12 °C | 83 kt | 3 h 43 min | 11:25 am PDT (18:25 UTC) |
| 24,000 ft FL240 | 330° at 48 kt | +48 kt | -23 °C | 72 kt | 4 h 17 min | 11:59 am PDT (18:59 UTC) |
| 30,000 ft FL300 | 310° at 31 kt | +28 kt | -36 °C | 92 kt | 3 h 21 min | 11:03 am PDT (18:03 UTC) |
| 34,000 ft FL340 | 260° at 28 kt | +11 kt | -41 °C | 109 kt | 2 h 50 min | 10:32 am PDT (17:32 UTC) |
| 39,000 ft FL390 | 240° at 37 kt | +2 kt | -44 °C | 118 kt | 2 h 37 min | 10:19 am PDT (17:19 UTC) |
Based on data from the 12th at 12:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 18:00 UTC for use 14:00 to 21:00 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WJF | used from 0 nm out; 27 nm from the line | 230/17 3° | 230/18 -1° | 230/24 -4° | 230/33 -13° | 300/23 -22° | 240/35 -32° | 230/53 -38° | 230/58 -44° | |
| FAT | used from 99 nm out; 45 nm from the line | L/V | 170/5 2° | 130/10 -4° | L/V -7° | 350/60 -11° | 340/62 -23° | 320/36 -38° | 270/25 -41° | 250/32 -44° |
| SAC | used from 248 nm out; 23 nm from the line | L/V | 320/8 4° | 330/12 -3° | 350/25 -6° | 350/63 -12° | 340/65 -24° | 340/60 -40° | 340/45 -45° | 290/24 -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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VNY Van Nuys, CA | departure | no report just now | 802 ft | ||||
| SZP Santa Paula, CA | 20 nm out, 21 nm southwest of the line | no report just now | 250 ft | ||||
| BFL Bakersfield, CA | 80 nm out, 10 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 509 ft | ||||
| MIT Shafter, CA | 89 nm out, 8 nm east of the line | no report just now | 424 ft | ||||
| FAT Fresno, CA | 169 nm out, 21 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 335 ft | ||||
| MER Atwater, CA | 219 nm out, 4 nm east of the line, tower | no report just now | 190 ft | ||||
| MOD Modesto, CA | 239 nm out, 6 nm southwest of the line, tower | no report just now | 99 ft | ||||
| RIU Rancho Murieta, CA | 288 nm out, 14 nm east of the line | no report just now | 144 ft | ||||
| SMF Sacramento, CA | destination | no report just now | 26 ft |
The highest airport on this list sits at 802 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.
At SMF when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 10:12 am PDT (17:12 UTC)
SMF has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.
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 17 nm from the route, at the destination end · security · until 1 November · ZOA
Daylight
Sunset at VNY 6:22 pm PDT (01:22 UTC), at SMF 6:31 pm PDT (01:31 UTC) (civil twilight ends 6:57 pm PDT (01:57 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: Van Nuys Airport, Sacramento International.