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Have You Checked the NOTAMs Today?

Notices to Air Missions, or NOTAMs, are issued to notify pilots of potential hazards at local airports.

NOTAMs can cover everything from ramp closures and navaids out of service to TFRs for VIPS. [Screenshot Courtesy of FAA.gov]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • NOTAMs (Notices To Air Missions) are essential and legally mandated for all pilots to check before flight, providing critical, timely updates on any changes, conditions, or hazards in the national airspace system, as failure to do so can lead to dangerous situations like landing on a closed runway.
  • They serve to update pilots on information not published elsewhere, covering everything from runway and taxiway closures, navigational aid outages, and unlighted obstructions to regulatory changes like Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs).
  • NOTAMs are categorized by scope and type (e.g., local NOTAM D, regulatory FDC, international, military) and can be accessed online via the FAA's NOTAM search website.
See a mistake? Contact us.

“Someone just landed on the closed runway.”

Imagine the surprise of the crew repainting the runway numbers when they saw a Cessna 172 with two people on board coming in for a landing. There were traffic cones blocking the approach end of the runway. There was an X made with tarps, signifying a closed runway in place, yet the aircraft kept coming. The work crew scrambled out of the way, some wondering if the 172 was experiencing an emergency—but when the aircraft performed a touch and go, the situation became clear—the pilot had not checked the NOTAMs and therefore wasn’t aware that the runway was closed for repainting that day, although you would think the big X, the presence of the traffic cones, and work crew with long handled brushes and 10-gallon buckets of paint would have been a clue.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

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