Learn about flight paths and aircraft movements in your area
Welcome to the Aircraft in Your Neighborhood Portal
Our goal is that you will learn more about the flight paths and aircraft movements in your area and be able to access the information and resources that explain how air traffic is managed.
First, please select your location using one of the following options, so that we can customize the information for your location.
We’ll remember your location so you don’t have to enter it every time you visit the site and we’ll keep this information confidential.
Please note, that this site works best on Chrome, Firefox and Edge.
Federally-leased airports (excluding Mt. Isa and Tennant Creek) have established Community Aviation Consultation Groups (CACGs), which provide an effective avenue for local community engagement on airport planning and operations, including aircraft noise. The Department for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications provides guidelines for CACGs.
Non federally-leased airports may also choose to establish CACGs or community forums.
CACG membership depends on the characteristics of the airport and any local issues of community concern however, generally includes:
airport management
aircraft operators
community organisations or representatives
representatives from state, territory or local government bodies
local tourism and business groups.
Airservices does not formally belong to CACGs, but is invited to attend to provide relevant information and assist in discussions. We engage with CACGs on flight path and airspace changes, as well as technical reviews, such as noise monitoring and noise abatement procedures.
Weather, in particular wind speed and direction, is generally the main factor in determining which runways are in use at an airport, in which direction aircraft will take off and land and which flight paths are used.
At all times, the safe operation of aircraft will be the primary consideration.
Runway naming
Runways are named using a numbering system which reflects the runways’ orientation. The number, between 01 and 36, correlates to the degrees on a compass, for example:
A runway numbed 09 points east at 90 degrees
A runway numbered 27 points west at 270 degrees.
Some airports will have additional runways side-by-side, in this case the letters, left, right and even center are used to differentiate the different runways.
Runway use
Runways can be used in both directions and a runway will have a different name to refer to each end. In the above example the runway runs east-west, with runway 09 pointing east and 27 pointing west.
Each year we manage domestic and international air traffic operations for over 140 million passengers on more than four million aircraft movements in a region covering 11 per cent of the world’s surface. The following video shows what 24 hours of operations looks like:
Controlled and uncontrolled airspace
Airspace is designated as either:
Controlled airspace which is actively managed by air traffic controllers and is broken up into a number of different classes or classifications. To enter controlled airspace, an aircraft must first gain a clearance from air traffic control.
Uncontrolled airspace which requires no clearance (or supervision by air traffic control) to operate. The large majority of light aircraft and helicopters operate outside or underneath controlled airspace (for example, aircraft that operate at low levels over Sydney Harbour).
Terminal Airspace
Terminal airspace is the controlled airspace surrounding a major airport, generally within a 30–50 nautical miles (55–90 kilometres) radius. In the case of some major airports, this airspace extends from ground level up to 18,000 feet (approximately 6,000 metres).
As the distance from the airport increases, the lower boundary of this airspace rises in steps, enabling other airspace users (such as gliders and balloons) to operate outside terminal airspace without requiring an air traffic clearance.
Restricted Airspace & No fly zones
In restricted airspace, aircraft movements are restricted in accordance with certain specified permissions. Examples of restricted airspace include airspace around military installations and high density flying operations at an air show or other large public event.
Restricted airspace may be imposed by police for safety or security reasons in the vicinity of bushfires or major crime scenes. Decisions on restricted airspace are made by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
No-fly zones are similar to restricted airspace but are imposed and enforced by the military (usually the Royal Australian Air Force). No-fly zones will often be established around military exercises, heads of government meetings and major events such as the Olympic or Commonwealth Games. Airservices has no authority or control over no-fly zones.
We have commenced a Noise Monitoring Review for Gold Coast Airport.
The purpose of the Review is to:
Validate the operation of the two existing long-term noise monitors (Tugun and Banora Point)
Consider and assess community suggested locations for a third long-term noise monitor in the Tweed Heads region or another suitable location in the broader Gold Coast region
Provide findings to the Gold Coast Airport Noise Abatement Consultative Committee (ANACC)
For more information, including how to participate in the Review visit Engage Airservices.
We collect noise and operational data from two noise monitors (Environmental Monitoring Unit, EMU) around Gold Coast Airport. Noise monitors are listed below according to their location.
Captures arrivals to Gold Coast Runway 14 and departures from Gold Coast Runway 32. The pattern of aircraft noise events recorded is relatively steady. Click to enlarge image and use your back button to return to this page.
BANORA POINT (EMU 3)
Captures arrivals to Gold Coast Runway 32 and departures from Gold Coast Runway 14.
Click to enlarge image and use your back button to return to this page.
The following video explains how our system calculates location-specific data used on this website:
The NFPMS
We source data directly from the Airservices Noise and Flight Path Monitoring System. The largest monitoring system in the world, combining data from air traffic control systems with a network of monitors deployed in local communities.
By using the location you provided when you entered the website, we extract data collected by this system and combine this with geographically relevant information, tailoring the site.
The grid
To be able to analyze the number of flights over your area, we have created a grid of identically sized, 1 kilometre by 1 kilometre squares. In total, the grid extends for 95 kilometres around each of the major airports in our coverage area. Initially this portal covers:
Adelaide
Brisbane
Cairns
Canberra
Gold Coast
Hobart
Melbourne
Perth
Sunshine Coast
Sydney
How we count the number of flights
We start by drawing a cone at the centre of each grid. Using the location that you provided when you entered the site, we determine the nearest cone to you.
Flights that pass through each cone are recorded and that data is presented on this website.
To avoid underestimating the flights in each area and to fully cover all locations in our grid, we lower the cone 2,600 feet (800 metres) into the ground.
The cone extends up to 15,000 feet (4.5 kilometres) above local ground level and at the very top, the cone is over 30,000 feet (9.4 kilometres) wide.
Why we use a cone
We use a cone because research undertaken by the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority identified that a cone best aligns with how we determine if an aircraft has overflown a location or not.
The 48.5-degree angle of the cone was selected as it incorporates an evaluation of noise, in that if one aircraft flew directly above the observer, followed by a second aircraft off to the side along the 48.5 degree line, the second aircraft would be 3 decibels quieter than the first.
There are two types of airspace — controlled and uncontrolled.
Controlled airspace
Airservices air traffic controllers manage controlled airspace. To enter controlled airspace, an aircraft must first gain a clearance from air traffic control. In controlled airspace all aircraft must have continual radio contact with air traffic control and submit a flight plan detailing the route and height they will fly. Some emergency operations do not have to submit a flight plan, due to the urgency of their flights.
Uncontrolled airspace
All other airspace is uncontrolled. No clearance is required to operate in uncontrolled airspace and there is no supervision by air traffic control. Pilots operating in uncontrolled airspace must still comply with aviation regulations. However, they do not need to submit a flight plan and they may only have partial radio contact. The large majority of light aircraft and helicopters operate mostly in uncontrolled airspace.
Because aircraft must take off and land into the wind for safety reasons, the runway selected for use will be the one that allows “into-wind” operations.
Wind patterns tend to be seasonal. This means that at some times of the year a runway and its associated flight paths may receive more use than at other times of the year.
The following image outlines the seasonal wind patterns and how they vary around Australia.
