The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Plan a flight · Sun 9:42 pm CDT (02:42 UTC)

Northwest Arkansas Ntl Airport to San Francisco International XNA → SFO

1,344 nautical miles (1,547 statute miles) west on a straight line, true course 282°, about 281° magnetic at the departure end (variation 1E). At 120 knots that is 12 h 13 min at the quickest height in today's winds (4,500 ft, a 10-knot headwind), arriving about 7:55 am PDT (14:55 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: 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

  • SIGMET 6W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 34,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 40 knots, until 10:55 pm CDT (03:55 UTC). Over the route from 448 to 687 nm out.
    as issued
    WSUS33 KKCI 120155
    MKCW WST 120155
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 6W
    VALID UNTIL 0355Z
    CO NM
    FROM 50SSW DEN-30NNE TBE-50SSW CME-50E SJN-20NE DVC-50SSW DEN
    AREA TS MOV FROM 23040KT. TOPS TO FL340.
  • SIGMET W10W: thunderstorms (a convective SIGMET) up to 30,000 ft, moving from the southwest at 20 knots, until 10:55 pm CDT (03:55 UTC). Over the route from 1095 to 1105 nm out.
    as issued
    WSUS33 KKCI 120155
    MKCW WST 120155
    CONVECTIVE SIGMET 10W
    VALID UNTIL 0355Z
    NV
    FROM 70SW TWF-40NNW BVL-40SW ELY-30ESE OAL-40WNW OAL-70SW TWF
    AREA TS MOV FROM 23020KT. TOPS TO FL300.
  • AIRMET TANGO 3W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). Over the route from 159 to 428 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft up to 18,000 ft. Over the route from 438 to 1065 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 4W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 36,000 ft. Over the route from 478 to 1095 nm out.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 528 to 657 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 1W: low-level wind shear (due to air speed loss or gain of 20 knots or more below 2,000 ft above the ground). Over the route from 558 to 707 nm out.
  • AIRMET ZULU 3C: moderate icing up to 22,000 ft. Over the route from 737 to 1115 nm out.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 1E: mountains obscured by cloud (due to mountains obscured by clouds, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 737 to 1035 nm out.
  • AIRMET SIERRA 2E: low cloud or poor visibility (IFR conditions) (due to ceilings below 1,000 ft, visibility below 3 miles, precipitation, mist). Over the route from 806 to 956 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 3W: moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft (due to mountain wave) up to 15,000 ft. Over the route from 1075 to 1215 nm out.
  • AIRMET TANGO 1W: moderate turbulence above 18,000 ft from 18,000 ft to 39,000 ft. Over the last 40 nm of 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 XNA.

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 02:00–09:00 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 13 forecast points nearest it (TUL, ICT, GAG, GCK, PUB, ALS, FMN, BCE, ELY, BIH, FAT, SAC, SFO). A plus sign is a headwind, a minus sign a tailwind.

HeightAverage windHead- or tailwindTemperatureGround speedTime en routeArrival
4,500 ft210° at 22 kt+10 kt20 °C110 kt12 h 13 min7:55 am PDT (14:55 UTC)
6,500 ft220° at 20 kt+12 kt14 °C108 kt12 h 27 min8:09 am PDT (15:09 UTC)
8,500 ft220° at 20 kt+13 kt10 °C107 kt12 h 34 min8:16 am PDT (15:16 UTC)
10,500 ft230° at 22 kt+15 kt4 °C105 kt12 h 48 min8:30 am PDT (15:30 UTC)
12,500 ft230° at 23 kt+16 kt1 °C104 kt12 h 55 min8:37 am PDT (15:37 UTC)
14,500 ft230° at 26 kt+17 kt-3 °C103 kt13 h 03 min8:45 am PDT (15:45 UTC)
16,500 ft220° at 29 kt+18 kt-7 °C102 kt13 h 11 min8:53 am PDT (15:53 UTC)
18,000 ft FL180220° at 32 kt+19 kt-11 °C101 kt13 h 18 min9:00 am PDT (16:00 UTC)
24,000 ft FL240230° at 39 kt+28 kt-21 °C92 kt14 h 37 min10:19 am PDT (17:19 UTC)
30,000 ft FL300240° at 55 kt+44 kt-29 °C76 kt17 h 41 min1:23 pm PDT (20:23 UTC)
34,000 ft FL340240° at 56 kt+46 kt-36 °C74 kt18 h 10 min1:52 pm PDT (20:52 UTC)
39,000 ft FL390240° at 48 kt+40 kt-46 °C80 kt16 h 48 min12:30 pm PDT (19:30 UTC)

Based on data from the 12th at 00:00 UTC; valid on the 12th at 06:00 UTC for use 02:00 to 09:00 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
TULused from 0 nm out; 53 nm from the line210/37240/29 17°260/15 14°260/11 7°240/22 -6°250/29 -16°270/45 -29°270/47 -40°280/44 -50°
ICTused from 149 nm out; 53 nm from the line200/48230/39 19°240/24 14°240/20 8°240/22 -6°250/31 -18°250/61 -29°260/58 -38°270/54 -49°
GAGused from 199 nm out; 59 nm from the line220/40 19°230/28 14°240/23 8°230/21 -6°240/31 -19°250/66 -29°260/58 -38°260/47 -49°
GCKused from 299 nm out; 44 nm from the line220/48 21°230/37 14°250/30 8°230/37 -6°240/37 -20°240/69 -28°250/67 -37°260/58 -48°
PUBused from 398 nm out; 88 nm from the line230/25 13°230/32 6°220/44 -8°230/49 -21°240/70 -28°240/67 -34°240/58 -46°
ALSused from 498 nm out; 39 nm from the line230/37 4°220/54 -9°230/62 -22°240/77 -26°240/74 -33°230/59 -45°
FMNused from 647 nm out; 63 nm from the line220/28 9°220/40 2°220/53 -10°220/62 -22°230/79 -28°240/91 -34°230/71 -45°
BCEused from 747 nm out; 88 nm from the line220/27 -1°210/40 -13°220/54 -21°220/64 -30°220/64 -34°220/52 -44°
ELYused from 946 nm out; 84 nm from the line200/39 3°210/27 -2°210/45 -15°220/56 -24°210/60 -28°210/63 -34°220/61 -43°
BIHused from 1045 nm out; 89 nm from the lineL/V240/7 1°190/13 -3°200/26 -16°210/43 -26°220/54 -28°220/51 -35°220/47 -43°
FATused from 1195 nm out; 60 nm from the line130/16160/20 5°190/28 -1°210/25 -5°220/27 -15°230/21 -26°220/42 -29°220/44 -35°220/44 -44°
SACused from 1245 nm out; 58 nm from the line110/6L/V 4°010/11 -2°350/11 -7°340/24 -16°360/44 -23°330/24 -30°270/21 -35°230/23 -43°
SFOused from 1294 nm out; 25 nm from the line120/13090/14 5°040/14 -1°350/17 -5°360/42 -14°360/64 -23°350/38 -32°300/19 -37°250/18 -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
XNA Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers, AR departure no report just now 1,288 ft
TUL Tulsa, OK 70 nm out, 21 nm southwest of the line, tower no report just now 677 ft
BKN Blackwell, OK 149 nm out, 1 nm south of the line no report just now 1,030 ft
HQG Hugoton, KS 348 nm out, 7 nm southeast of the line no report just now 3,134 ft
TAD Trinidad, CO 488 nm out, 17 nm south of the line no report just now 5,761 ft
RCV Del Norte, CO 587 nm out, 4 nm east of the line no report just now 7,955 ft
BDG Blanding, UT 727 nm out, 16 nm south of the line no report just now 5,867 ft
BCE Bryce Canyon, UT 856 nm out, 12 nm south of the line no report just now 7,589 ft
TPH Tonopah, NV 1095 nm out, 11 nm north of the line no report just now 5,430 ft
LVK Livermore, CA 1314 nm out, 4 nm northwest of the line, tower no report just now 399 ft
SFO San Francisco, CA destination no report just now 13 ft

The highest airport on this list sits at 7,955 ft; the ground between airports is higher still. Check the sectional chart for the terrain and the minimum safe heights along the line.

At SFO when you get there the forecast at the estimated arrival, 7:55 am PDT (14:55 UTC)

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

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

  • 6/7094 45NM NE MERCED, CA, Sunday, October 4, 2026 through Tuesday, October 20, 2026 UTC 4 nm from the route, 1205 nm along the route · a hazard on the ground (fire-fighting, a chemical spill, rescue work) · until 20 October · ZOA
  • 6/7231 Santa Clara, CA, Sunday, October 11, 2026 through Monday, October 12, 2026 UTC 14 nm from the route, at the destination end · drones kept away from a public gathering · until 12 October · ZOA

Daylight

Sunset at XNA 6:45 pm CDT (23:45 UTC), at SFO 6:36 pm PDT (01:36 UTC) (civil twilight ends 7:02 pm PDT (02:02 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 lower Mississippi valley
Radar now, the lower Mississippi valley · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the southern Plains
Radar now, the southern Plains · loop National Weather Service
Radar now, the southern Rockies
Radar now, the southern Rockies · 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: Northwest Arkansas Ntl Airport, San Francisco International.