The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has released the latest edition in its Stay OnTrack series, a guide designed to help VFR pilots plan and conduct flights into, out of and around the Sydney region.
Developed with the assistance of local operators, the guide covers military procedures, airspace infringement hotspots, ground operations, tracking and reporting point information, and weather considerations specific to the Sydney Basin, aimed at pilots who are either unfamiliar with the area or haven't flown there for a while.
The guide details procedures for Bankstown and Camden, along with satellite aerodromes The Oaks, Wedderburn and Wilton. A significant section covers military airspace around Richmond, Williamtown, Nowra and the Holsworthy Training Area, including activation hours, contact frequencies and established VFR transit routes.
Also mapped out are known airspace infringement hotspots across the northern, central and southern basin, from the Brooklyn Bridge and Blue Mountains corridor to the Victor 1 coastal route, where pilots are reminded not to coastal fly the Sydney beaches between Ben Buckler and Long Bay Headland.
The guide steps through VFR departure and arrival tracking for both airports, standard radio call scripts, and a full regional weather briefing covering westerly turbulence, southerly busters, thunderstorm season, fog patterns and east coast lows.
Download the guide
Stay OnTrack – Flying the Sydney Region is available as a free PDF download from the CASA website: Stay OnTrack – Flying the Sydney region (PDF, 12.15 MB)
Equivalent guides are also available for the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Perth, Darwin, Melbourne and Adelaide regions via the Stay OnTrack series page.