The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Sun 5:09 pm PDT (00:09 UTC)

Watsonville Municipal to Santa Barbara Municipal WVI → SBA

178 nautical miles (205 statute miles) southeast on a straight line, true course 147°, about 133° magnetic at the departure end (variation 14E). At 120 knots that is 1 h 26 min at the quickest height in today's winds (18,000 ft, a 4-knot tailwind), arriving about 6:35 pm PDT (01:35 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: 4 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

No SIGMET or AIRMET covers any part of this route right now.

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 WVI.

Pilot reports along the route within 50 nm of the line, last three hours, the serious ones first

  • E50P descending, 14 nm west, 3:03 pm PDT (22:03 UTC): remarks: low-level wind shear + 10 knots short final. 20 nm along the route, 14 nm west of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    MRY UA /OV KMRY/TM 2203/FLDURD/TP E50P/RM LLWS +/- 10KTS SHORT FINAL
    Report
    a routine report filed through MRY
    Where
    over KMRY
    Time
    22:03 UTC
    Height
    during the descent
    Aircraft
    E50P
    Remarks
    low-level wind shear + 10 knots short final
  • C172 at 5,000 ft, 34 nm southeast, 4:15 pm PDT (23:15 UTC): remarks: tops 5,000 ft on departure runway 25. At the destination end, 34 nm southeast of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    OXR UA /OV KOXR/TM 2315/FL050/TP C172/RM TOPS 050 ON DEP RWY25
    Report
    a routine report filed through OXR
    Where
    over KOXR
    Time
    23:15 UTC
    Height
    at 5,000 ft
    Aircraft
    C172
    Remarks
    tops 5,000 ft on departure runway 25
  • E50P at 3,200 ft, 34 nm southeast, 3:57 pm PDT (22:57 UTC): remarks: bases 3,600 ft on arrival runway 25. At the destination end, 34 nm southeast of the line.
    as filed, and in English
    OXR UA /OV KOXR/TM 2257/FL032/TP E50P/RM BASES 036 ON ARR RWY25
    Report
    a routine report filed through OXR
    Where
    over KOXR
    Time
    22:57 UTC
    Height
    at 3,200 ft
    Aircraft
    E50P
    Remarks
    bases 3,600 ft on arrival runway 25

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 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 3 forecast points nearest it (SFO, FAT, SBA). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
3,500 ft200° at 5 kt+3 kt117 kt1 h 31 min6:40 pm PDT (01:40 UTC)
5,500 ft170° at 8 kt+7 kt113 kt1 h 35 min6:44 pm PDT (01:44 UTC)
7,500 ft200° at 11 kt+6 kt5 °C114 kt1 h 34 min6:43 pm PDT (01:43 UTC)
9,500 ft220° at 18 kt+5 kt2 °C115 kt1 h 33 min6:42 pm PDT (01:42 UTC)
11,500 ft220° at 22 kt+5 kt-2 °C115 kt1 h 33 min6:42 pm PDT (01:42 UTC)
13,500 ft230° at 23 kt+3 kt-6 °C117 kt1 h 31 min6:40 pm PDT (01:40 UTC)
15,500 ft240° at 23 kt0-9 °C120 kt1 h 29 min6:38 pm PDT (01:38 UTC)
17,500 ft250° at 23 kt−3 kt-13 °C123 kt1 h 27 min6:36 pm PDT (01:36 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180250° at 23 kt−4 kt-14 °C124 kt1 h 26 min6:35 pm PDT (01:35 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240250° at 28 kt−4 kt-22 °C124 kt1 h 26 min6:35 pm PDT (01:35 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300230° at 37 kt+5 kt-28 °C115 kt1 h 33 min6:42 pm PDT (01:42 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340230° at 36 kt+5 kt-34 °C115 kt1 h 33 min6:42 pm PDT (01:42 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390230° at 40 kt+5 kt-44 °C115 kt1 h 33 min6:42 pm PDT (01:42 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
PointFrom3,0006,0009,00012,00018,00024,00030,00034,00039,000
SFOused from 0 nm out; 74 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°
FATused from 49 nm out; 80 nm from the line180/7170/9 7°200/20 3°210/27 -3°240/27 -14°230/38 -24°220/57 -27°230/42 -33°230/41 -44°
SBAused from 99 nm out; 54 nm from the lineL/V170/13 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

AirportWhereConditionsWindVisibilityCeilingElevationReported
WVI Watsonville, CA departure no report just now 163 ft
SNS Salinas, CA 20 nm out, 2 nm west of the line, tower no report just now 84 ft
KIC King City, CA 49 nm out, 6 nm east of the line no report just now 374 ft
SBP San Luis Obispo, CA 119 nm out, 8 nm west of the line, tower no report just now 212 ft
SMX Santa Maria, CA 139 nm out, 11 nm southwest of the line, tower no report just now 261 ft
SBA Santa Barbara, CA destination no report just now 13 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 374 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, 6:35 pm PDT (01:35 UTC)

SBA has no terminal forecast; use the nearest airport that does.

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 WVI 6:34 pm PDT (01:34 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

Radar now, the Pacific Southwest
Radar now, the Pacific Southwest · 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: Watsonville Municipal, Santa Barbara Municipal.