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A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of "there are no old, bold pilots.")

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Aero-Tips 07.25.06

Although some time back political correctness set in and we started referring to "Notices to Aviators", the acronym is still NOTAM and the FAA's Pilot/Controller Glossary still defines them under the term "Notice to Airmen".

Whatever you call them, NOTAMs are notices of changes to facilities, services, hazards or procedures.  A new "published NOTAMs" comes out every 28 days…generally "unpublished" NOTAMs are in effect only until the end of the 28-day cycle.

NOTAM types

NOTAMs (published or not) come in three classes, or types:

• NOTAM D: Information from unpublished NOTAMs disseminated throughout the Flight Service Station (FSS) briefing network.  Think "D for Distant".
• • NOTAMs D are items that may determine whether you fly into an airport or using  a facility
  • Examples: runway closures, navigation equipment outages
  • FSS and Direct User Access Terminal (DUAT) briefings should include all NOTAM D information for your proposed route.
• NOTAM L:  "Local NOTAMs" are unpublished NOTAMs  usually disseminated only by the "owning" FSS.
• • NOTAMs L are items that may affect the way you operate, but in most cases won't cause you to cancel a trip completely
  • Examples: taxiway closures, minor lighting outages, fuel services inoperative, airport restaurant closed
  • Unless you're being briefed by the FSS with responsibility for the geographic area where the NOTAM is in effect, you'll need to specifically ask for local NOTAMs to get them in your preflight briefing (Note: As Lockheed-Martin further consolidates FSSs this may become less of an issue as you're more likely to be working with the "owning" FSS).
• FDC NOTAMs:  Issued by the Flight Data Center, or FDC, these NOTAMs describe regulatory changes or modifications of instrument approach or other critical procedures. 
• • Applicable FDC NOTAMs are always briefed unless the pilot declines to hear them.
  • Examples: changes to published procedures or charts, Temporary Flight Restrictions, the Washington DC Air Defense Identification Zone notification.

Aero-tip of the day:  Understand when you'll get NOTAMs as part of your preflight briefing... and when you have to specifically ask.

FMI: Aero-Tips