Aircraft noise in West Pymble (2073)
On a typical day, about 53 aircraft pass over West Pymble — mostly arrivals at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, below 3,000 ft. Helicopters and light aircraft add another 5 low overflights a day. Estimated peak ground noise reaches 78–82 dB — enough to interrupt conversation outdoors. It ranks #12 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 West Pymble · updated monthly
Where the noise comes from
West Pymble hears traffic from 2 distinct sources:
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
live map →48 overflights/day (90%) · typically 3,000 ft
West Pymble sits under the north shore arrival stream for both parallel runways. On south-flow days arrivals descend overhead in a steady sequence, sharing the traffic roughly evenly between the 16R and 16L paths. When the airport flips to north-flow, the stream moves south of the harbour and the suburb quietens markedly.
Helicopters & other light aircraft
5 overflights/day (10%) · typically 2,600 ft
Around 5 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Macquarie Park | 81 | #6 |
| Pymble | 56 | #11 |
| West Pymble | 53 | #12 |
| Turramurra | 48 | #14 |
| Killara | 40 | #20 |
| Gordon | 22 | #54 |
| South Turramurra | 19 | #71 |
Common questions
- Is West Pymble under a flight path?
- Yes — West Pymble is directly under Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport flight paths, with around 53 overflights on a typical day, mostly 16R arrivals.
- Which airport's aircraft fly over West Pymble?
- More than one source: Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (~48/day), other low-flying aircraft (~5/day). The breakdown above shows each source's pattern.
- What time do planes start over West Pymble?
- The first movements typically pass over West Pymble around 9:45am, once the curfew (11 PM – 6 AM) ends. Traffic builds through the morning peak.
- Is it quieter in West Pymble on weekends?
- Not much — weekday and weekend traffic over West Pymble is similar (73 vs 67 overflights a day).
- Why is it loud some weeks and quiet others?
- Runway direction. Wind decides which runways are in use, and only some configurations put traffic over West Pymble — so noise arrives in multi-day patterns rather than evenly.
Checking a specific address?
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