A NOTAM (Notice to Airmen, [1] [2] Notice to Air Men, [3] Notice to Airman [4] or Notice to Air Missions [5] ) is a notice filed with an aviation authority to alert aircraft pilots of potential hazards along a flight route or at a location that could affect the flight. [6] NOTAMs are notices or advisories that contain information concerning the establishment, conditions or change in any aeronautical facility, service, procedure or hazard, the timely knowledge of which may be essential to personnel and systems concerned with flight operations. [7]
NOTAMs are created and transmitted by government agencies and airport operators under guidelines specified by Annex 15: Aeronautical Information Services of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (CICA). A NOTAM is filed with an aviation authority to alert aircraft pilots of any hazards en route or at a specific location, or Flight Information Region. The authority, in turn, provides a means of disseminating relevant NOTAMs to pilots.
The acronym NOTAM came into common use following the ratification of the CICA, which came into effect on 4 April 1947,[ citation needed ] although early recorded use of the "Notice to Airmen" heading can be found in Flight International magazine in the UK. [8] Notices to airmen were normally published in a regular publication by each country's air authorities, as in the UK.
Several developments and amendments to the CICA have resulted in the more automated system available today. At some point in the past, the NOTAM system became web-aware. [9]
In July 2017, Air Canada Flight 759 nearly crashed into four other airliners as it attempted to land on a San Francisco taxiway misidentified as a runway: the adjacent runway was closed, but the information was buried in the NOTAM. In September 2018, as a consequence of the findings of its investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated NOTAMs were unintelligible and ignored. The NTSB recommended more effective presentation of relevant information. NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt described NOTAMs as "a bunch of garbage that nobody pays any attention to". This led to an initiative of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to reform the NOTAM system. [10]
In early 2014, Russia occupied Crimea and as part of the takeover Russia issued a newly-invented code, URFV to cover the Crimean airspace. The Ukrainian air controller has been subjugated to issue NOTAMs under the UKFV code, basically a verbatim repeater. [11] [12] As a result all the UKFV NOTAMs advising about this area affix this note: [11]
DUE ACTIVITY PUBLISHED BY RUSSIAN FEDERATION. THE PUBLICATION BY RUSSIAN FEDERATION OF INFORMATION RELATED TO AIRSPACE UNDER RESPONSIBILITY OF UKRAINE DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE ICAO AIR NAVIGATION PLAN - EUROPEAN REGION (DOC 7754) AND THE ICAO ANNEXES 11 AND 15.
In the run-up to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities closed large parts of the Black Sea, the Kerch Strait, and almost the entire Sea of Azov "for missile and artillery live fire exercises." A spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry protested the Russian NOTAMs over this unprecedentedly large exercise area, which essentially obstructed international shipping and had economic consequences for Ukrainian ports such as Mariupol. [13]
NOTAMs are issued (and reported) for several reasons, such as:
Aviation authorities typically exchange NOTAMs over Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN) circuits.
Software allows pilots to identify NOTAMs near their intended route or at the intended destination. Some complain that the volume and increasing triviality of NOTAMs has reduced their usefulness. [14]
In the U.S. Air Force information technology enterprise, C4 NOTAMs (command, control, communications, and computer notices to airmen) are notices of new or updated Air Force Network Operating Instructions (AFNOIs). Often, these notices serve to direct Air Force computer administrators to install security updates or change the configuration of computer systems. [15]
Flight planning applications for electronic flight bag can help decipher and better organize NOTAMs. [16]
The following describes ICAO NOTAMs. NOTAMs are published using all upper case letters. Some countries, such as the United States, may diverge from the following ICAO standards.
This is a typical NOTAM for London Heathrow airport:
A1234/06 NOTAMR A1212/06 Q)EGTT/QMXLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/5129N00028W005 A)EGLL B)0609050500 C)0704300500 E)DUE WIP TWY B SOUTH CLSD BTN 'F' AND 'R'. TWY 'R' CLSD BTN 'A' AND 'B' AND DIVERTED VIA NEW GREEN CL AND BLUE EDGE LGT. CTN ADZ
This decodes into the following:
A1234
issued in 2006 (06
)R
) NOTAM A1212
issued in 2006 (06
)EGTT
)MX
)LC
)I
) flights and VFR flights (V
)N
), for PIB (Pre-flight Information Bulletin) entry (B
), concerning flight operations (O
)A
)000/999
)5129N00028W
)005
)EGLL
)060905
0500
)070430
0500
)DUE WIP
), taxiway "B South" is closed between "F" and "R" (TWY B SOUTH CLSD BTN 'F' AND 'R'
). Taxiway "R" is closed between "A" and "B" (TWY 'R' CLSD BTN 'A' AND 'B'
) and is diverted via a new green centre line and blue edge lighting (AND DIVERTED VIA NEW GREEN CL AND BLUE EDGE LGT
). Caution advised (CTN ADZ
).In the United States, NOTAMs are classified by the FAA into five categories: [17]
From left to right, U.S. NOTAMs contain the following elements:
Keyword | Meaning |
---|---|
RWY | Runway |
TWY | Taxiway |
RAMP | Terminal ramp |
APRON | Airport apron |
AD | Aerodrome/Airport |
OBST | Obstruction |
NAV | Anything relating to navigational equipment, e.g. VOR or NDB being out of service. |
COM | Any other communications, e.g. ATIS. |
SVC | When tower, fuel, customs service hours are available. |
AIRSPACE | The airspace surrounding the affect location. |
U | Other aeronautical information, but unverified. |
O | Other aeronautical information. |
These NOTAMS are likely to use FAA-specific abbreviations.
Tok Junction Airport has an unverified vehicle that is abandoned on its runway.
Los Angeles International's VOR is out of service.
There is an airshow being held at Oshkosh airport with aircraft flying 5,000 feet and below within a 5 nautical mile radius. Avoidance is advised from 2000 UTC on July 15, 2007, until 2200 on July 15, 2007.
On 11 January 2023, the US NOTAM system failed, which grounded all domestic flights until 9:00 AM EST (UTC-5) the same day. [19] [20]
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface such as a runway for a plane to take off and to land or a helipad, and often includes adjacent utility buildings such as control towers, hangars and terminals, to maintain and monitor aircraft. Larger airports may have airport aprons, taxiway bridges, air traffic control centres, passenger facilities such as restaurants and lounges, and emergency services. In some countries, the US in particular, airports also typically have one or more fixed-base operators, serving general aviation.
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers (people) who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airspace. The primary purpose of ATC worldwide is to prevent collisions, organise and expedite the flow of traffic in the air, and provide information and other support for pilots.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a human-made surface or a natural surface. Runways, taxiways and ramps, are sometimes referred to as "tarmac", though very few runways are built using tarmac. Takeoff and landing areas defined on the surface of water for seaplanes are generally referred to as waterways. Runway lengths are now commonly given in meters worldwide, except in North America where feet are commonly used.
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Articles related to aviation include:
Airspace is the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere. It is not the same as outer space which is the expanse or space outside the Earth and aerospace which is the general term for Earth's atmosphere and the outer space within the planet's vicinity.
Automatic terminal information service, or ATIS, is a continuous broadcast of recorded aeronautical information in busier terminal areas. ATIS broadcasts contain essential information, such as current weather information, active runways, available approaches, and any other information required by the pilots, such as important NOTAMs. Pilots usually listen to an available ATIS broadcast before contacting the local control unit, which reduces the controllers' workload and relieves frequency congestion. ATIS was developed and adopted by the FAA in the mid-1960s and internationally beginning in 1974. Before the adoption of ATIS, this information was routinely disseminated to each aircraft separately, increasing controller workload during periods of high traffic density.
A flight service station (FSS) is an air traffic facility that provides information and services to aircraft pilots before, during, and after flights, but unlike air traffic control (ATC), is not responsible for giving instructions or clearances or providing separation. They do, however, relay clearances from ATC for departure or approaches. The people who communicate with pilots from an FSS are referred to as flight service specialists.
Troutdale Airport, also known as Troutdale-Portland Airport, is a corporate, general aviation, and flight-training airport serving the city of Troutdale, in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. It is one of three airports in the Portland metropolitan area owned and operated by the Port of Portland. Troutdale Airport was established in 1920 as a private airfield, then purchased by the Port of Portland in 1942. It serves as a reliever airport for nearby Portland International Airport (PDX).
The Canada Flight Supplement (CFS) is a joint civil/military publication and is a supplement of the Aeronautical Information Publication. It is the nation's official airport directory. It contains information on all registered Canadian and certain Atlantic aerodromes and certified airports.
Paphos International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located 6.5 kilometres south-east of the city of Paphos on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is the country's second largest airport, after Larnaca International Airport. Paphos Airport is commonly used by tourists on vacation in western Cyprus, providing access to popular resorts such as Coral Bay, Limassol, and Paphos itself.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. It is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civil aviation infrastructure in India. It provides Communication Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) services over the Indian airspace and adjoining oceanic areas. AAI currently manages a total of 137 airports, including 34 international airports, 10 Customs Airports, 81 domestic airports, and 23 Civil enclaves at Defense airfields. AAI also has ground installations at all airports and 25 other locations to ensure the safety of aircraft operations. AAI covers all major air routes over the Indian landmass via 29 Radar installations at 11 locations along with 700 VOR/DVOR installations co-located with Distance Measuring Equipment (DME). 52 runways are provided with Instrument landing system (ILS) installations with Night Landing Facilities at most of these airports and an Automatic Message Switching System at 15 Airports.
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Perth Airport is a general-aviation airport located at New Scone, 3 nautical miles northeast of Perth, Scotland. The airport is used by private and business aircraft, and for pilot training. There are no commercial scheduled flights from the airport.
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Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) is an aviation surveillance technology and form of electronic conspicuity in which an aircraft determines its position via satellite navigation or other sensors and periodically broadcasts its position and other related data, enabling it to be tracked. The information can be received by air traffic control ground-based or satellite-based receivers as a replacement for secondary surveillance radar (SSR). Unlike SSR, ADS-B does not require an interrogation signal from the ground or from other aircraft to activate its transmissions. ADS-B can also receive point-to-point by other nearby equipped "ADS-B In" equipped aircraft to provide traffic situational awareness and support self-separation. ADS-B is "automatic" in that it requires no pilot or external input to trigger its transmissions. It is "dependent" in that it depends on data from the aircraft's navigation system to provide the transmitted data.
AirNav.com is a privately owned website for pilots and aviation enthusiasts. The site publishes aeronautical and airport information released by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) such as runway distances, airfield traffic patterns, airport frequencies, airport operations, facilities and services, chart location, navigational coordinates and locations, radio aids, ownership information and other pertinent information that all pilots need when traveling into or out of an airport or around the United States National Airspace System (NAS). The same information is published in the Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD), updated every 56 days.
On July 7, 2017, an Airbus A320-211 operating as Air Canada Flight 759 was nearly involved in an accident at San Francisco International Airport in San Mateo County, California, United States. The flight, which originated at Toronto Pearson International Airport, had been cleared by air traffic control to land on runway 28R and was on final approach to land on that runway; however, instead of lining up with the runway, the aircraft had lined up with the parallel taxiway, on which four fully loaded and fueled passenger airplanes were stopped awaiting takeoff clearance. The flight crew initiated a go-around prior to landing, after which it landed on 28R without further incident. The aircraft on the taxiway departed for their intended destinations without further incident. The subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the Air Canada airplane descended to 59 feet (18 m) above the ground before it began its climb, and that it missed colliding with one of the aircraft on the taxiway by 14 feet (4.3 m).
This is a glossary of acronyms, initialisms and terms used for gliding and soaring. This is a specialized subset of broader aviation, aerospace, and aeronautical terminology. Additional definitions can be found in the FAA Glider Flying Handbook.
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