runwayinuse

Runway 20L Voluntary Traffic Pattern KSNA local VFR procedures

The current flow at KSNA is uncertain right now (UNKNOWN), so whether this procedure applies at this moment is unknown. Live runway page →

Not for navigation. Verify against the official sources linked below before flight.

vfr departure Airport sponsor published verified 2026-08-28 (42 d ago)

Published by the airport sponsor; voluntary unless ATC assigns it. If ATC assigns this route to you in Class B, C or D airspace, that assignment is an ATC instruction and compliance is required (14 CFR 91.123) — and “unable” remains available to the pilot in command.

Turn left crosswind at or before Highway 73 to keep off the residential area south of the highway and away from the Newport Back Bay communities.

The route

  1. On departure, turn 15° left at the departure end of the runway to avoid aircraft departing the larger runway
  2. Once on the 15° offset upwind — unless below 500 ft AGL or instructed otherwise by ATC — turn left crosswind before reaching Highway 73, to avoid overflying the residential area south of the highway
  3. Pilots are encouraged to voluntarily turn left at or before Highway 73 to help minimize noise impacts over the Newport Back Bay communities

When it applies

Source text, verbatim

KSNA General Aviation Voluntary Noise Abatement VFR Pattern Procedure for Runway 20L
Pilots flying KSNA's Runway 20L traffic pattern are encouraged to voluntarily turn left at or before Highway 73 to help minimize noise impacts over the Newport Back Bay communities.
For Aircraft Departing Runway 20L:
On Departure: Turn 15o left at departure end of runway to avoid the aircraft departing the larger runway.
Once on the 15o offset upwind, unless an aircraft has not reached 500' AGL, or received Air Traffic Control instructions to the contrary, turn left crosswind before reaching Highway 73 to avoid overflying residential area south of the highway (highlighted in orange).
This noise abatement procedure should be used only when consistent with the safe operation of aircraft

The text above is the published source wording and is authoritative over any summary on this page.

Sources

All KSNA procedures · KSNA runway in use