What's flying over Sacramento right now?

What you're seeing over Sacramento

Most airliners over Sacramento are flying to or from Sacramento International, which sits in farmland about ten miles northwest of downtown. Southwest carries the biggest share of passengers there, with Alaska, United, Delta, American and others adding flights to the West Coast and beyond. Because SMF is out among rice fields beside the Sacramento River, most of its low traffic stays north and west of the city, and downtown sees airliners mostly at moderate altitudes.

What makes Sacramento's sky unusual is everything else. Travis Air Force Base, southwest of the city, flies big C-17 and KC-46 jets, Beale Air Force Base to the north has long been home to the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance plane, and McClellan Airfield, the former Air Force base in North Highlands, is a CAL FIRE air attack base. In fire season, air tankers and helicopters fly out of McClellan and other bases on their way to fires in the Sierra foothills. The live map lets you follow them, and our guide on why some aircraft don't show up explains why military flights may be missing.

Airports near Sacramento

• commercialSMFSacramento International Airport
  KSMF · 9 miles northwest of downtown
  The region's main airport, in farmland northwest of downtown, with Southwest as the largest carrier. Live traffic at SMF ↗
• cargoMHRSacramento Mather Airport
  KMHR · 11 miles east of downtown
  A former Air Force base east of the city with cargo operations and business aviation. Live traffic at MHR ↗
• general aviationSACSacramento Executive Airport
  KSAC · 5 miles south of downtown
  A city-owned general aviation airport south of downtown. Live traffic at SAC ↗
• general aviationMCCMcClellan Airfield
  KMCC · 8 miles northeast of downtown
  A former Air Force base in North Highlands that hosts a CAL FIRE air attack base and Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento. Live traffic at MCC ↗
• militaryBABBeale Air Force Base
  KBAB · 38 miles north of downtown
  The longtime home of the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, north of Sacramento near Marysville. Live traffic at BAB ↗
• militarySUUTravis Air Force Base
  KSUU · 32 miles southwest of downtown
  A major Air Mobility Command base in Fairfield flying C-17s, KC-46s and C-5Ms. Live traffic at SUU ↗

Common traffic over Sacramento

Southwest dominates SMF with 737-800s and MAX 8s, while Alaska, Horizon, United, Delta, American, Frontier and others fill in, including some service to Mexico and Hawaii. Much of the region's air cargo moves through Mather, where freighters operate largely at night.

SMF's two parallel runways run north-south:

• South flow, very common because of the valley's south winds: arrivals descend from the north over farmland and the Sacramento River, and departures climb out to the south and turn east or west.
• North flow, common with north winds in winter and fall: arrivals come in from the south over Natomas, and departures climb north toward Yuba City.

Military flying is a big part of the region's sky:

• Travis AFB flies C-17s, KC-46 tankers and C-5M Super Galaxies, often climbing out over the Delta.
• Beale AFB has long been home to the U-2, which climbs to very high altitudes, though the Air Force has been working toward retiring it; Beale also hosts reserve KC-135 tankers.
• McClellan hosts Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento's search-and-rescue aircraft and CAL FIRE air tankers.

Helicopters include CHP and Sheriff aviation units, UC Davis and other medevac services, and news crews. In fire season, CAL FIRE air tankers and helicopters stage at McClellan and fly to fires in the foothills, sometimes passing low over the city. Overflights between Northern California, Reno and points east cross the valley at cruise altitude.

Aircraft you'll often see here

Plane-spotting tips for Sacramento

The roads around SMF, especially near the north and south runway ends off Interstate 5 and the cell phone lot area, offer views of arrivals over open farmland, with few obstructions. The Aerospace Museum of California, at McClellan, has an outdoor collection and sometimes glimpses of CAL FIRE operations in fire season. For Travis, the Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center, located on the base and accessible with base entry, has historic aircraft. From downtown, look northwest toward SMF and east toward Mather. Summer smoke from wildfires can hide aircraft and turn the sky orange, while winter tule fog can bring visibility close to zero, often grounding small planes and slowing arrivals.

Sacramento sky questions

Nearby cities

Planes over San Francisco (75 mi) · Planes over San Jose (89 mi) · Planes over Los Angeles (361 mi) · Planes over Las Vegas (387 mi)