How do you plan a KLAX to KSFO flight route in a simulator?

For a realistic KLAX-to-KSFO flight in a general-purpose flight simulator, plan an IFR jet route of roughly 300–350 NM, usually linking a northbound Los Angeles SID to a San Francisco STAR. Generate it against matching navdata, choose runway-dependent procedures from the weather, then verify every leg, altitude constraint and approach in the FMS.

This assumes an airline-style IFR flight. A VFR trip up the Californian coast requires different routing and should not copy airline SIDs and STARs.

What KLAX–KSFO route should I use?

There is no single permanent KLAX to KSFO flight plan because winds, runway configuration, traffic and navdata revisions change the assigned procedures. Two useful planning patterns are shown below; DCT means direct between fixes.

Procedure revision numbers are deliberately omitted because they change between navdata cycles. Select the revision present in your aircraft database and confirm that its runway and transition match the plan. Do not combine a departure from one pattern with an arrival from the other unless the resulting legs connect sensibly.

These are planning examples, not guaranteed ATC clearances. If realism is the priority, use our method for finding a filed airline route and checking it against simulator navdata. When flying with online ATC, the clearance you receive takes precedence over the generated route.

How do I build and load the flight plan?

The safest workflow is to generate the route first, then add runway-dependent procedures only after checking the weather and installed navigation database.

1. Enter the airports: use KLAX as the origin and KSFO as the destination. Confirm the ICAO codes before calculating fuel or exporting anything.
2. Select the exact aircraft: use a profile matching the aircraft and engine variant you will fly. The wrong profile can produce unrealistic fuel, climb and cruise calculations on this short sector.
3. Check the weather: determine the likely departure direction at Los Angeles and landing configuration at San Francisco. Do not select a runway from wind direction alone when simulated ATIS or ATC provides an active runway.
4. Match the navdata: the planner, simulator and aircraft FMS should use compatible AIRAC data. If they differ, treat the aircraft database as the final authority for procedures it can actually fly.
5. Generate the route: our walkthrough shows how to generate the route and operational flight plan in SimBrief, including aircraft selection, fuel and route validation.
6. Brief the procedures: use the appropriate departure, arrival and approach plates. Our guide to briefing the SID, STAR and approach from aviation charts explains how to read transitions, restrictions and missed-approach instructions.
7. Load and cross-check: compare the imported plan with the FMS legs page. Some simulator imports include only the en-route fixes, so reselect the SID, STAR and approach inside the aircraft rather than assuming the import carried them across.
8. Inspect the route map: look for doubled-back legs, repeated fixes, gaps and impossible turns. Verify the first waypoint after the SID and the connection between the STAR and approach.

What altitude and fuel should I plan?

For a modern airliner, roughly FL260 to FL320 is a sensible starting range, with an even flight level normally used for the north-westerly course unless ATC assigns otherwise. Aircraft weight, winds and the selected procedures may make a lower level more efficient; forcing a very high cruise can leave almost no time at altitude.

Do not copy a fixed fuel quantity from another aircraft. Calculate taxi, trip, contingency, alternate and final-reserve fuel using the aircraft profile. KOAK and KSJC are geographically convenient alternate aerodromes, but Bay Area weather can affect all three airports, so proximity alone does not make an alternate suitable.

Expect descent planning to begin early. Using the basic three-to-one rule, descending from FL300 to near sea level requires about 90 NM before adding distance for slowing down, restrictions or vectors.

Choosing the KSFO arrival and approach

Choose the STAR that connects your en-route fix to the landing runway without a gap or reversal. Westerly operations at San Francisco commonly use Runways 28L and 28R with an ILS, RNAV or visual approach, but wind, visibility and ATC can produce a different configuration.

A STAR is not an approach. Load both, select the correct transition and review where one hands over to the other. If the chart ends with vectors, a deliberate FMS discontinuity may be correct until ATC gives a heading or direct-to instruction.

Why does the route break in the FMS?

Most broken KLAX–KSFO routes come from mismatched navdata, duplicated transitions or an import that handles procedures differently from the aircraft.