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Sunshine Coast Airport circuits

General Aviation (light aircraft and helicopter) operations are conducted to and from Sunshine Coast Airport and aircraft also use the airport for circuit training exercises.

Sunshine Coast Airport aims to limit general aviation activity and circuit training to between 7.00 am and 10.00 pm (unless in the event of an emergency or night time pilot training) to reduce noise during the early morning and night.

Where are the circuits at Sunshine Coast?

Due to the height of Mount Coolum to the north, aircraft will usually circuit on the south side of the runway near Mudjimba, Twin Waters and Pacific Paradise.

When the air traffic control tower is open, controllers may direct some aircraft to circuit on the north side of the runway (near Marcoola) for traffic management reasons.

Circuit training at Sunshine Coast Airport – June to October 2020

Click on the image above to open a larger view in a new tab.

What is circuit training?

Circuit training is the first stage of practical pilot training focused on take-offs and landings. It involves the pilot making approaches to the runway or helipad, touching down and then applying power to take off again. This is undertaken in accordance with Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Regulations which are consistent with international practices.

How are circuits flown?

A training circuit consists of five legs – take-off, crosswind, downwind, base and final approach to the runway.

Aircraft take off into the wind, climb to 500 feet and then turn onto the crosswind leg. They continue to ascend to 1000 feet and turn onto the downwind leg. Having turned onto the base leg the descent commences. After turning onto the final leg and lining up with the runway the aircraft will touch down and take off again.

For left-hand circuits, the pilot turns left after take-off and flies anticlockwise. For right-hand circuits, the pilot turns right and flies in a clockwise direction.

A simplified representation of a left-hand circuit is shown above

Learn more about current GA operations on our Impact of COVID-19 on aircraft operations at Sunshine Coast Airport page.

Note: All tracks during the stated period have been displayed. Track colours have been adjusted to show track density. Where aircraft are more concentrated the colour will appear darker.

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What was that flight?

WebTrak is a tool that enables the community to see where aircraft fly and explore historical trends and patterns. WebTrak is provided by Envirosuite.

WebTrak uses information from air traffic control radars to display aircraft movements. The flight search and display function allows you to view aircraft flight activity over metropolitan areas. You can also:

  • locate your street address and have your home appear on the map
  • see noise levels of individual aircraft
  • view information about aircraft type, height, origin and destination
  • display an aircraft’s flight path and point of closest approach to your home
  • zoom in and out down to street level.

Note that there is a slight minute delay on the display of flights.

You can view WebTrak for your region here.

Or, find out more information about WebTrak and how to use it.

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Cambridge Airport Flight Paths

Cambridge Airport has a range of General Aviation (light aircraft) operations.

To learn more about Cambridge Airport operations, take a look at our Cambridge Airport circuits page.

The illustration below shows how light aircraft typically operate at Cambridge Airport. These aircraft usually fly using visual flight rules, where the pilot uses visual references to the ground or water rather than flying on a published instrument flight path. This means we see a broad area where light aircraft may fly.

The animation is indicative only and provided for information purposes, on occasions flights may leave these general areas from time-to-time.

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Will flights increase in the future in my area?

Flight Path and Airspace Changes

Visit Engage Airservices to engage with our program of flight path and airspace changes.

Hobart Airspace Design Review – Post Implementation Review

On 7 November 2019, Airservices introduced new instrument flight procedures and flight paths at Hobart Airport. As these flight paths have been in operation for over 12 months, we have commenced a Post Implementation Review (PIR) and are accepting community suggested alternatives for flight paths and Noise Abatement Procedures (NAPS).

For more information, including how to participate in the Review visit Engage Airservices.

Airport Master Plans

Airport Master Plans provide a blueprint for the future development of an airport over a twenty year period. They include information on forecast growth, airport terminals and facilities, runways and flight paths.

Who is responsible for master planning?

Airports are responsible for producing the master plan.

Hobart Airport

The Hobart Airport Master Plan can be found on the Hobart Airport website.

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How seasonal variation affects your area

Aircraft usually take-off and land into the wind for safety and performance reasons. As the wind direction changes the runway in operation and the flight paths being used may also change.

This means that the Sunshine Coasts seasonal wind patterns affect usage of the different runway directions.

When there are easterly or southerly winds, aircraft approach the runway from an inland direction and depart towards the ocean.

When the wind is from a westerly or northerly direction, the runway is used in the opposite direction.

If the wind is light or calm the direction the runway is used is determined by other factors such as Noise Abatement Procedures (NAP) or air traffic management requirements.

As we gather more data on operations we will update this section with more information.

Learn more about how the runway is named and oriented on our Sunshine Coast Airport Runway page.