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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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Sunshine Coast Airport Runway

Sunshine Coast Airport has one runway oriented North-West to South-East (Runway 13/31) which opened on 14 June 2020. The runway is shown in the image below with orange arrows at either end.

Each runway is referred to differently according to in which direction it is being used, as explained in the following video.

For example, the runway is referred to as Runway 13 when used in a south-easterly direction and Runway 31 when used in a north-westerly direction.

Runway numbering reflects the runways’ orientation and correlates with degrees on a compass. Runway 13 is at 130 degrees and Runway 31 is at 310 degrees.

The existing north-south runway (RWY 18/36) was de-commissioned when the new runway opened. The old runway is also shown in the image below in blue.

Learn more about seasonal changes in your area on our How seasonal variation affects your area page.

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Sunshine Coast flight paths

New flight paths commenced at Sunshine Coast Airport on 14 June 2020. To learn more about the runways at Sunshine Coast Airport, take a look at our Sunshine Coast Airport Runways page.

The illustration below shows how jet and non-jet (turbo-prop) aircraft typically operate at Sunshine Coast Airport on the published instrument arrival and departure flight paths

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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Airservices Australia: Who we are and what we do

As Australia’s air traffic management and aviation rescue fire fighting service provider managing 11% of the world’s airspace, our primary focus is to ensure the safety of air travel both in the air and on the ground at airports.

Each year, millions of people travel to, from and within Australia, with about 3.9 million flights taking off and landing across the country. 

Managing air travel—including safety, efficiency, environmental and community impact—is a shared responsibility. Government agencies, airlines and airports work together to balance these priorities.

At Airservices, our highly trained air traffic controllers manage flights at every stage—departure, enroute travel, and arrival—working together to keep planes safe in controlled airspace. 

We provide air traffic services at 29 airports, across Australia. Our aviation rescue fire fighters are on standby at 27 airports, ready to respond to emergencies. Most of these airports operate 24/7 without restriction, but some have movement caps and curfews set by the Federal Government to manage local impacts. 

At Airservices Australia, we are committed to ensuring safe, efficient, and responsible air travel while balancing the needs of communities and the aviation industry.

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How we manage Australia’s airspace

Australia’s skies are some of the busiest in the world, with millions of flights taking off and landing every year. At Airservices Australia, we work behind the scenes, safely managing air traffic in controlled airspace while considering noise impacts on communities.