Residents of Cessnock and Maitland in New South Wales may see an aircraft flying unusually low next week as the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) carries out important flight path safety checks.
The checks are being conducted by CASA on 3 July and 4 July to validate new procedures at Cessnock and related modified procedures at Maitland.
A twin-engine Beechcraft Duchess will be used to carry out the safety checks within an area up to 40 kilometres from the aerodromes.
Low-level flying is an essential part of the safety exercise, with the aircraft down as low as several hundred feet at times.
Local residents may notice an uncommon flying pattern, but this is to make sure obstacles are accurately marked on charts and no new obstacles exist. Obstacles can be towers, trees, masts or buildings that can be a danger to aircraft.
If poor weather or other factors do not allow the safety checks to go ahead on the planned days, they will be carried out as soon as possible.