A NOTAM for NOTAMs
This article originally appeared in POPA Magazine 2024.
Reading time 5 minutes.
Since publication, the FAA has delayed implementing ICAO NOTAMs until late 2025.
Heads up! Changes are coming to NOTAMs in December 2024.
It is a rare event. Modeled initially after Notice to Mariners, Notice to Air Missions have remained an archaic staple of aviation since 1947. Written in ALL CAPS, full of shorthand codes, and without prioritization, they are an ergonomic nightmare for pilots and dispatchers.
Let's remember the importance of NOTAMs. CFR 91.103 states, "Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight"—an impossible task in the information-overloaded age.
The FAA improved the system in 2008. Keywords were standardized, which helped facilitate sorting NOTAMs by RWY, TWY, OBST, NAV, COM, AIRSPACE, etc. Third-party providers, such as Foreflight, could more easily sort the data and present a massive briefing package with some intelligibility.
Global Harmonization
ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), which has existed for as long as NOTAMs, guides civil aviation authorities worldwide in harmonizing aviation. The FAA currently issues a domestic version of NOTAMs, and this significant change is to align with the ICAO NOTAM format. Come December, NOTAMs will look different.
Will this change improve operators' workflows, add prioritization to the system, and simplify the mass of information? Meh...
Below is a familiar domestic FAA NOTAM for a runway closure:
DSM 03/085 DSM RWY 05/23 CLSD 2404010330-2407012300
Under the new ICAO format, that single runway closure NOTAM will look like this:
B0667/24 NOTAMN
Q) KZMP/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4132N09340W005
A) KDSM
B) 2404010330
C) 2407012300
E) RWY 05/23 CLSD
Yes, indeed. That one-line NOTAM has morphed into six, with a whole set of new data added. If you have flown internationally, it is not new. This is what the majority of NOTAMs look like around the world. For those unfamiliar, expect your currently lengthy NOTAM brief to sextuple. Your NOTAM scan will have to adjust accordingly.
Look past the inconvenience and see the seeds of change with optimism. This format benefits from having more data fields to sort and filter. Theoretically, presenting operators with NOTAMs in a useful, prioritized format will be easier.
Breakdown
The first two lines house the majority of new information. B0667/24 names the NOTAM by series, number, and /year. The series replaces the domestic format keywords. In this case, Bmeans airport movement areas (old RWY/TWY designations). There are 13 of these series codes if you want to dig in. However, this part is written for bots, not you, and the RWY information is also shown in line E.
After the name, the type of NOTAM is specified. There will be three types of NOTAMs moving forward:
NOTAMN = New
NOTAMR = Replaces another NOTAM
NOTAMC = Cancels another NOTAM
The Q line stands for Qualifier - think Query, as this is shorthand code for computer digestion. KZMP signifies the Flight Information Region (FIR) where the NOTAM is located, in this case, Minneapolis Center. QMRLC is the NOTAM code that signifies the subject and condition (ignore this). IV indicated this NOTAM applies to IFR and VFR traffic. NBO is the purpose: N for immediate attention, B for pre-flight, and O for flight operations. A is the scope - in this case, Aerodrome.
The last bits detail the applicable altitude block. 000/999 indicates ground to unlimited. Finally, the lat (4132N), long (09340W), and radius (005) are specified. The takeaway from the Q line is to move on Quickly.
Lines A - G are the meat of what you need to know:
A) ICAO location indicator of the aerodrome or FIR in which the facility, airspace, or condition being reported is located.
B) Effective date/time (UTC)
C) Expiration date/time (UTC)
D) Schedule (optional)
E) Plain language text description of information
F) Lower altitude limit (Used with Airspace NOTAMs)
G) Upper altitude limit (Used with Airspace NOTAMs)
One last change for all NOTAMs is they should only last 90 days max before reissue.
Problems Remain
The ultimate purpose of NOTAMs is to inform operators of time critical changes. While additional data fields may assist in parsing information, and the changes move us closer to a worldwide standard of NOTAMs, this change does not address the core issue of the NOTAM system.
The core issue is that NOTAMs are delivered to operators based on the date and time of issue rather than by importance. Changing to the ICAO format will use extra brain space in the short term, but we aviation professionals can adapt. In the long term, expect your needle in the NOTAM haystack skillset to remain relevant.
