I almost live under the flight path and not a problem here. What I find a joke is the curfew in ADL that allows cargo to land at any time. The Toll plane that landed at 4:50 last week sounds really loud. But apparently the noise was fine.
Maybe they should fit out some cargo planes of pax and then land those outside of curfew since the noise is good noise.
I believe small cargo or mail planes (usually turboprops, I think) are allowed to operate irrespective of the curfew in SYD.
I suppose we as seasoned flyers are a little unfair to qualify that we sleep alright under a flight path, though I suppose there are mitigating measures, e.g. thicker windows, noise insulation, ear plugs or just moving away. However, taking a page from how mining companies deal with communities (or lack thereof), it
is perhaps commercially unfortunate but morally and socially irresponsible just to operate the airport and expect everyone to "put up with it", when it would be more appropriate to seek a mutual situation between communities and the airport. Unfortunately, the current curfew situation is not a mutual situation, but more just a Mexican standoff really.
I've argued against the curfew for this very reason that it is
not a solution (and at best, is not an
effective solution), as well as the very tight bounds it places on flight scheduling as well as catering for irregular operations (i.e. it doesn't). All of this is not conducive to allow for connections growth in SYD (whether that be actual or perceived -
both are important). Also, I have little confidence that (just like in Brisbane) the community is suitably appeased that the noise is under control due to the curfew legislation, i.e. there are still a barrage of complaints related to noise at the airport. As well as this, I'd be surprised if any community member or representative affected by flight path noise actually would rationally propose a more robust solution to the problem.
At the moment, I see the only mutual solution is to move SYD out to a remote area far away from communities and ensure flight paths are similarly fixed. But no one wants to take the first step. For the complainant who supports the curfew and the supposed politicians who fear the likes of them, I'd be far from thinking that your local politician fears you rather than actually being a gutless coward on the issue.