Pops, Coolbie

Pops is located in Coolbie, about an hours drive north of Townsville, on the Bambaroo walking track.

Direction to Pops launch can be navigated to by co-ords. -18.896794 S  146.235534 E
 

Pops sits at 280m AMSL and is classed as inland flying. The site takes an N-NE wind direction. The launch currently has a weather station in place and conditions can be viewed on the below link. 

https://freeflightwx.com/pops/

The site is on private property and requires a 4x4 vehicle to access the launch. Alternatively you can park vehicles inside the gates entrance and hike to launch. Hiking will take around 0.5-1hr to complete and can be quite challenging, especially during the warmer seasons. Ensure you carry ample amount of water.

Due to the site being located on private property, pilots are to contact Telegram group who will alert landowners of flying activities.

For new pilots to the site, it is preferable that you attend the site with a local pilot, for a site briefing to be conducted.

The main LZ is located in the paddock directly below the launch, which has a powerline running along the left hand side going towards the highway.

Landing is prohibited in land south of the gates entrance up to a 1km radius south. Refer to the map below for the no landing zone highlighted with a red outline.

Pilots are to notify the Telegram group once flying activities are finished.

 

Nb. Change to Flying Operations from November 2025.

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Pilots are to restrict thermalling operations in the vicinity of the container house located on the ridgeline centred 550m north of the Pops launch site as defined by the red polygon on the figure below. Please respect the property owner’s privacy.

 

Flying operations further along this ridgeline are permitted via appropriate height transit over this residence.