Gold Coast Airspace is unique as Gold Coast Tower controls Class C airspace up to 1500 ft within a 7 nm radius (less to the west). Class G airspace surrounding Gold Coast is very busy with tourist flights to the north of the zone and training flights to the south.
Know your CTAF frequencies and appropriate levels for safe flight through these areas. Submit flight plans and call up Brisbane Centre for your SSR code and be in receipt of the current ATIS, well in advance of an inbound VFR reporting point, or remain clear of the Class C boundaries, as shown on the Gold Coast VTC. At the Gold Coast you share the airspace with a diverse mix of traffic and pilot experience. Busy domestic and international arrival and departure periods can create delays for clearances, especially coastal clearances and training flights, so be familiar with the western VFR route for transit flights.
Gold Coast is an international airport and can be very busy, so the earlier you can contact ATC inbound, the better. If in any doubt about local procedures, unfamiliar pilots should call a local operator or ATC for advice. ATC recommends you submit a flight plan, which enables controllers to quickly identify you in the system and give you a clearance. If you call for a clearance without having lodged a flight plan, it could lead to delays.
Helicopters routinely fly low level along the coast entering and leaving the zone. Tourist helicopters frequently enter the zone on agreed routes. Lifesaver helicopter is active in the warmer months with low-level coastal patrols a few times each day. Local helicopter operations have a small area on the western grass for circuits and hover ops: details can be found in ERSA and when in use, it will be broadcast on the ATIS.
At Kirra Beach expect parachute operations that land on the beach. When chutes are in the air, coastal transits can expect delays or alternatively may be offered the western VFR route.
Gold Coast Airport hosts a number of flying schools. Their aircraft regularly do touch and go circuits, as well as flights to the southern training area, so light aircraft traffic can make the airspace congested.