Oct. 26, 2015
New improvements to the FAA’s notice to airmen (NOTAM) Search, now featuring new filter and priority sorting options, makes flight planning easier than ever.
“NOTAM Search is an ongoing project to improve pilot access to NOTAMs,” said Rich Boll, a member of NBAA’s Access Committee. “Pilots’ ability to obtain NOTAMs in the National Airspace System has been a hodge-podge of resources over the years including flight service, websites and flight planning service groups, but none of these access points have been a one-stop shop. For example, letters to airmen and construction NOTAMs and graphics are sometimes not available through these sources.”
The upgraded NOTAM system includes letters to airmen, construction NOTAMs and graphics, and more. It also offers a flight path search, enabling the user to define parameters, such as width of the search from the flight path, and review all NOTAMs along that path. Users can also filter NOTAMs by date or sort NOTAMs by priority, for example, requesting NOTAM Search to list runway closure NOTAMs first. Users at a particular airport can also request all NOTAMs for the surrounding area.
“NOTAM Search is still a work in progress, but at some point in 2016 this system should replace the existing Pilot Web as a primary source of NOTAM delivery,” Boll added.
For now, in addition to NOTAM Search, pilots should continue to consult with flight service for NOTAMs and other flight information. NBAA is optimistic NOTAM Search will continue to improve to the point where it will be the sole source for NOTAMs.
NOTAM Search is one outcome of the Pilot’s Bill of Rights, which was signed into law in 2012 with support of NBAA and other aviation groups. NBAA and its Access Committee continue to support the development of NOTAM Search through the NOTAM Improvement Panel, which provided many of the recommendations to be implemented by the FAA.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.