We are aware of the impact of aircraft noise on our neighbours. Our flight training sequences are deliberately designed to minimise the impact of aircraft noise on local communities.

Our flight training syllabus covers an area from Coffs Harbour in the south, to Bundaberg in the north, and as far west as Oakey. This minimises our noise footprint on any particular area.

When conducting extended local flight training operations, these are performed over the ocean or over the bushland south of a line between Evans Head and Ellangowan.

We conduct circuit training (i.e. training in the traffic pattern in the immediate vicinity of Lismore Airport) only about five hours per month. When we do so, we manoeuvre our aircraft to minimise the impact on the Lismore township as much as possible. There are limits to this however as the Lismore Airport runway location and direction is fixed, the traffic pattern around an aerodrome is well defined by Airservices Australia, and we are required to utilise the published traffic pattern. The same issue applies to published holding patterns for instrument approach procedures.

It is important to note that on occasions, our ability to apply our Fly Neighbourly procedures may be limited by weather and other operational circumstances (e.g. the positions of other aircraft and the need to separate from these).  Our pilots will always make the final decision about whether or not it is safe and operationally appropriate to apply our Fly Neighbourly procedures.

It is also important to note that the Lismore Airport, and it’s operational procedures, are utilised by a number of other flight training operators from other aerodromes including the Gold Coast and Archerfield (Brisbane). We have no control over the procedures employed by these operators, many of whom utilise Lismore Airport for circuit and instrument approach training with significant impact on the Lismore township and surrounds.