Circuit Training at Moorabbin Airport Circuit Training at Moorabbin ...

Oxford Aviation:
The sharing of circuit training between the Eastern and Western circuits is acceptable as a
“noise sharing measure “. Due to inbound/outbound traffic that typically uses the Western
runway and therefore circuit, the circuit volume could not be equal. Probably a 60% Eastern /
40% Western would work.
Peter Bini Advanced Flight Training:
We have no issue with sharing circuits between east and west runways. The reduction on the
eastern side may also have a positive safety impact.
Tristar Aviation:
Noise sharing measure’ by utilising the eastern and western airport sides is acceptable
without the reduction of hours or operational movements within which circuit training is
undertaken.
Airservices Australia:
The Moorabbin circuit configuration (i.e. circuits on the eastern side with overflow on the
west) is mainly due to the arrival, departure and transiting traffic mix. Other major ex GAAP
airports, Jandakot and Bankstown, actually dedicate one circuit to training all of the time.
The eastern circuit has two recommended inbound points Academy (ACE), Police Academy in
Glen Waverley and GMH, the old GMH factory in Dandenong. The western circuit has four,
Carrum (CARR) on the bay, SHOAL, in the bay to the southwest on the direct MB‐KII track,
Bay West (BAW), in the bay to the west, the inbound point on the NDB approach and
Brighton (BTO) on the bay to the northwest. Additionally there is a VFR route adjacent to the
western airspace and numerous transiting aircraft tracking along the bay coast which
infringes the western airspace. These include lifesaver and police patrols.
The result of this airspace configuration is that the western circuit deals with the majority of
travel and transit flights which allows the eastern circuit to be used for circuits. The only
change that could be made to adjust the balance would be to nominate CARR as an arrival
point for the eastern side when circuits are in the western side. This would have to be
changed back when circuits are on the eastern side. This would be a high risk change to
procedures as the likelihood of aircraft flying into the wrong airspace would be considered
high. The only way to handle traffic from the other western inbound points would be to
overfly them into the eastern circuit. This could result in numerous aircraft of different
performance levels being pointed at one spot overhead the field, this would overload the
western controller given they would already be controlling a circuit full of traffic and have
transiting coastal traffic to deal with as well. This would also increase workload through the
coordination required to process the traffic from the western to the eastern side.
Changes of this magnitude would require safety assessment through the Airservices Safety
Management System. It would be difficult to mitigate against such a workload change. This
type of change would also require environmental assessment.
Moorabbin Airport Corporation:
In an operational or economic sense the balance between circuits is irrelevant to MAC.
However it is pointed out that the eastern runway sets (17L/35R and 13L/31R) are Code 3c
runways and must be used for certain operations. Additionally at night these are the only lit
runways and all operations are to the east.
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