NOTAM Modernization By Written –by Amy Magstadt, Kansas City Center, Quality Control Manager proach procedures and airways within the U.S. The next time you're flying IFR, you should be checking them before you go. Pointer NOTAM
Some 1.3 million Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) are processed each year, and the average flight plan generates approximately 70 pages of NOTAM information that pilots and controllers are required to be familiar with. This large volume of NOTAMs creates challenges associated with issuing them and contributes to safety concerns. NOTAM modernization is one of the top safety priorities for the agency. This is a good thing, because if you google NOTAMs, the comments that pop up highlight how difficult and outdated the NOTAM system is. Users are frustrated with how NOTAMs are written and categorized. There are seven different types of NOTAMs making it difficult to keep them straight.
A pointer NOTAM, literally points out another NOTAM. NOTAMs listed as a pointer NOTAM highlight crucial information that shouldn't be overlooked.
ing forward with solutions, which the Top 5 will complement. Since first issued in the 1920s, NOTAMs have remained largely unchanged, and have provided pilots, operators, and aircrews with essential departure, in flight, and arrival information involving the abnormal status of a component of the NAS that could affect a flight or prevent it from being completed as planned. Updating the NOTAM system will make it much easier to use.
SAA NOTAMs
The problem is the critical safety inSpecial Activity Airspace NOTAMs are formation provided in NOTAMs is issued when the airspace is active challenging for pilots to easily underoutside its normally published times stand because the notices are written and when required by the published in all capital letters, using abbreviaschedule. tions, keywords, and shorthand. Lacking plain language or graphical depic(U) NOTAMs tions, US-issued NOTAMs fail to comply with the International Civil AviaA subpart of NOTAM (D), (U) NOTAMs tion Organization’s (ICAO) globallycome from an outside source and recognized NOTAM formatting standwhich have not yet been verified by ards. management personnel. The NOTAM modernization team is (O) NOTAMs NOTAM (D) addressing this serious safety risk by improving the presentation of NOA subpart of NOTAM (D), (O) NOTAMs TAM information, prioritizing or highUsually not included in a weatherbriefing unless specifically requested, are information that doesn't fit NOlighting the most important inforNOTAM (D) outlines all local and dis- TAM criteria but may be beneficial mation, and optimizing pilot review tant (D) NOTAMs for all navigational information for pilots. and retention of relevant information. facilities, public use airports, seaports, The initiative also addresses legislaand heliports in the U.S. chart supple- Military NOTAMs tive requirements which mandate ment. For example, information rethat no enforcement action may be NOTAMs pertinent to the U.S. military taken against a NOTAM violation until garding runway closures or obstrucnavigational aids and airports located the FAA Administrator certifies the tions can be found in this NOTAM. within the national airspace system. agency has a single, internetFDC NOTAM accessible NOTAM repository that The NOTAM modernization effort al- provides sortable, filterable, archivaFDC, or Flight Data Center NOTAMs ble, and machine-readable functionalready has multiple stakeholders. outline changes to instrument apDifferent facets of the ATO are mov- ity. 18
