NOTAM

NOTAM ( Notice ( s ) to Airmen ) are arrangements and information about temporary or permanent changes in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP ), which are important for an orderly, safe and smooth traffic.

The German translation for Buyer ( s ) to Airmen ( " Message (s ) to Airmen " ) is entirely uncommon and poses a likelihood of confusion with the German law shaped Notices Notices to Airmen ( NOTAM ), in which the publications of the Federation, the Länder and the German Air Traffic Control (DFS ) are included.

NOTAM contain short-term or urgent orders, procedures and information that are of interest as supplementary information for the conduct of a flight of ( especially ) and do not necessarily require changing the AIP, especially changes in the AIP are often distributed by post and therefore take time. NOTAMs are disseminated via the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network ( AFTN ).

Arrangements and information that are distributed in a NOTAM, are news about the establishment, condition or change in any aeronautical facilities, services, procedures or hazards, the timely knowledge of which affected aviation personnel is essential.

A NOTAM treated only one topic and its terms and should be valid for a maximum of three months. Is it valid longer than three months, it is automatically copied to the AIP AIP.

Temporary changes

NOTAMs are basically just short-term changes in the AIP. Sometimes, however, can not be guaranteed that the AIP will be amended or supplemented. In this case, in addition to short-term changes can also make permanent changes to the AIP and changes that need a detailed written explanation, as issued NOTAM. Then, a NOTAM may also be valid for more than 3 months.

The pilot in command has as part of his pre-flight duty to make before every flight with him all the documents available to trusts. This includes the current NOTAM concerning his flight. These are the NOTAM that his departure aerodrome, its destination aerodrome, and, if necessary and desired, its ( n ) Ausweichflugpla (ä ) tz ( e) as well as information about its flight path concern.

Content of NOTAM

For airlines in the NOTAM NOTAM briefing package will be compiled and sorted by:

  • Departure - NOTAM ( aerodrome )
  • Enroute NOTAMs ( route )
  • Alternate NOTAM ( alternate aerodrome )
  • Destination NOTAM ( aerodrome of destination )
  • Company - NOTAM ( NOTAM, which apply only to the airline )

NOTAMs are issued for a number of hazards and problems of aviation.

For example, for:

  • Condition of the airfields
  • Activation times of flight restriction areas
  • Temporary erection of obstacles near airfields ( eg cranes )
  • Hazards, such as Air shows, parachute jumps or weather balloon launches
  • Flights from important people, such as heads of State
  • Temporarily closed starting and landing strips
  • Temporarily non-functioning radio navigation aids (VOR, NDB, ILS)
  • Military exercises with resulting airspace restrictions
  • Malfunctioning warning lights on tall obstacles
  • Failure of navigation equipment

Development of a NOTAM

An orignal NOTAM, which published by a NOTAM office and is spread always has the following format:

Example

Explanation:

Importance of sample NOTAM

For ease of understanding, and ( mostly) shortening the length of a NOTAM, this can be rewritten by the NOTAM office of the German Air Traffic Control and preselected. This rewritten NOTAM, however, are often difficult to read through many abbreviations for inexperienced, there is a risk that, due to the rewriting errors. Accordingly, for example, flight dispatchers frequently use original NOTAM.

NOTAM encoding

The Q - code of an original NOTAM is a major help for the evaluation of existing NOTAM, for example, to automate the relevance for cockpit crews determine. The Q - code is always located in the third row. To obtain a statement on the content of a basic NOTAM primarily the second group of Q codes important in the above example is the QRDCA. The first letter of this group are in this case only the beginning of the relevant codes, is always the same. The second and third letter always refer to the institution concerned or the affected thing. The Fourth and Fifth Letter relating to the condition of the coded letters in two and three means. So QRDCA stands for:

The two- letter codes can not be connected directly to its importance. General is the second letter but a category of things to which third letter clarifies a thing within this category.

Other examples

International regulations

In the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the International Information services are regulated ( Aeronautical Information Services). The guidelines for the NOTAM are listed in Annex 15 ( Annex 15 ). NOTAMs are created by government aviation agencies ( aviation authority) and disseminated in order to warn pilots of any hazards on routes or at the respective locations.

In Europe, the ECAC States provide national and short-term changes or restrictions in the form of its airspace NOTAM to the EAD ( European AIS Database ). EAD denotes a central reference database for aeronautical information. Outside the ECAC States refers the EEAS all worldwide NOTAM via AFTN (Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network). The NOTAM will be automatically processed in the reference database, checked for plausibility and constantly updated. So the users of the EEAS will be made ​​available to a worldwide NOTAM database.

Germany

In Germany, the German Air Traffic Control (DFS ) is connected to the EAD and provides the national data of NOTAM for the EAD ready. At the same time involves the DFS pre -preserved in the EAD international data.

The national NOTAM Office of the DFS provides aeronautical data users (airlines, pilots, etc.) the NOTAM in the English language. NOTAM can also be retrieved selectively, depending on route, destination and alternate airport or be subscribed there.

There are also military NOTAM that are the responsibility of the Office of Air Navigation Services of the Bundeswehr ( AFSBw ) in Frankfurt Hausen. Also, this office is connected to the EEAS.

Special shapes

Special forms of NOTAM are:

  • SNOWTAM informed about the eviction or the threat of / due to snow, ice, mud or water on the movement area
  • BIRDTAM, warns of areas and airfields with acute, increased bird strike. Permanent dangers of bird strikes are, however, published in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP ). In contrast to the NOTAM BIRDTAM are not standardized by the ICAO, but by NATO and are mainly used in the military environment. ICAO and EUROCONTROL look for information on flocks of birds the NOTAM Code " HX " before ( Traffic " IV " Scope " A" Purpose " B").
  • ASHTAM, warns of volcanic activity, volcanic eruptions and volcanic ash clouds, provided that they are of importance for aviation

USA

In the U.S., the pilot receives the relevant NOTAM - while he gives up his schedule - by the responsible regional Flight Service Stations. There is also software that allows the pilot to identify the NOTAM relating to the environment and its intended route of its planned flight destination.

Examples

In NOTAM usually very many abbreviations are used (list of abbreviations in aviation ).

That is in plain text:

Example 2-7 are military NOTAM the U.S. Army in Germany for their pilots (Army Flight Operations ) Hohenfels Hospital AHP: nil --- nil stands for " nothing is listed" ( NOTAM no message available )

AREA 3 - grids ' ND, NE, PD, PE': nd9431 (east of celle ) 8 nm rad 500ft - 2000ft AMSL, helicopter workout procedures, non- participating mil ACFT avoid area. nov24 - Dec01 0700-1600 dly exc sat sun. ( M2498 ) ( NOTAM the U.S. Army for Germany )

Explanation: rad - radius; AMSL - above mean sea level - above sea level; ACFT - Aircraft - Plane; dly - daily - daily; exc - except - except

Ne6734 ( hamburg city ) 493ft agl; captive balloon, night marked, permanent, daily sr- 2200. ( f4815 )

Explanation: captive balloon - balloon; sr - Sunrise - Sunrise

AREA 6 - grids ' NB, NC, PB, PC '; pc1140 ( brocken mountain) 2 nm rad sfc/5000ft agl; over flying strictly proh by all ACFT mil, exc sar FLTS dly h24. ( m132 )

Explanation: rad - radius; sfc - surface - soil surface; agl - above ground; proh - prohibited; ACFT - aircraft - airplane; exc - except - except: sar - search and rescue - SAR rescue flights; dly - daily - daily

Lv8694 ( kristen dz) 2 nm rad 5000ft agl; pje and drop of heavy Eqpt nov 28-29 dly 1430-1930, mil flying proh. ( m2342 )

Explanation: pje - parachute jumping exercise - parachute jumps; Eqpt - equipment - equipment; proh - prohibited - prohibited;

A7411 ( hosp jugenheim ) 1km rad sfc/1000ft gnd; oVft strictly proh. ( m130 )

Explanation: hosp - hospital - hospital; oVft - over flight - overflight

COM: B) 04/01/08 08:03 UTC C) 04/01/16 15:00 UTC ( B0014/04 ); A) LOXT; E) APP FREQ 136.700 MHZ TULLN Langenlebarn AND FREQ 121.500 MHZ NOT AVBL. REF AIPAUSTRIA AD 2.2

Explanation: AVBL - available - available

Others

For sailors, the Notices to Mariners are issued in a slightly different form.

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