Aircraft noise in Pymble (2073)
Aircraft fly over Pymble roughly 56 times a day, the bulk of them arrivals at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, between roughly 3,000 and 5,000 ft. Helicopters and light aircraft add another 2 low overflights a day. Estimated peak ground noise reaches 76–80 dB — enough to interrupt conversation outdoors. It ranks #11 of 139 Sydney suburbs for aircraft noise exposure. (Flight Path Noise monitoring data, 90 days to 2026-08-21.)
Data: 90 days to 2026-08-21 · all tracked aircraft over Pymble · updated monthly
Where the noise comes from
Pymble hears traffic from 2 distinct sources:
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
live map →54 overflights/day (97%) · typically 3,600 ft
Pymble is part of the upper north shore arrival corridor: on south-flow days, arrivals descend overhead on the long straight-in for the parallel runways, mostly bound for 16L. At this distance from the airport they're at middling altitude — loud enough to notice, high enough not to rattle windows. North-flow days take the stream away almost entirely.
Helicopters & other light aircraft
2 overflights/day (3%) · typically 2,500 ft
Around 2 low overflights a day come from aircraft not operating at a tracked airport — helicopters, seaplanes and light aircraft transiting the area. Light-aircraft counts are tracked overflights only — many training and private aircraft carry no ADS-B transponder, so true numbers are higher.
Light-aircraft counts are tracked overflights only — many training and private aircraft carry no ADS-B transponder, so true numbers are higher.
How nearby suburbs compare
| Suburb | Overflights / day | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Pymble | 56 | #11 |
| West Pymble | 53 | #12 |
| Turramurra | 48 | #14 |
| St Ives | 28 | #35 |
| Gordon | 22 | #54 |
Common questions
- Is Pymble under a flight path?
- Yes — Pymble is under Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport flight paths, with around 56 overflights on a typical day, mostly 16L arrivals.
- Which airport's aircraft fly over Pymble?
- More than one source: Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (~54/day), other low-flying aircraft (~2/day). The breakdown above shows each source's pattern.
- What time do planes start over Pymble?
- The first movements typically pass over Pymble around 6:07am, once the curfew (11 PM – 6 AM) ends. Traffic builds through the morning peak.
- Is it quieter in Pymble on weekends?
- Not much — weekday and weekend traffic over Pymble is similar (58 vs 57 overflights a day).
- Do planes fly over Pymble at night?
- The main airport's curfew restricts movements between 11 PM – 6 AM, so overnight overflights are rare. The last movements are typically around 9:57pm.
Checking a specific address?
This page shows suburb-wide averages. An address report gives you the exact overflight count, altitudes, hourly pattern and noise estimate for one property. Leave your email and we'll let you know when reports are ready for Pymble.
