NOTAM Watch No1

By Mike Cross

Mike Cross flies a 1948 Luscombe Silvaire that is marginally older than he is. He represents AOPA in meetings with NATS and the CAA on NOTAM issues.

Safe flight requires information. Information on the aircraft, the aerodrome, the airspace around us, the ground below us and the weather. In this series of articles I aim to shed light on some of this data, how and why it is provided, and where you can get it. I'll apologise in advance for the number of acronyms we'll discover and will give the full title each time I use a new one.

History

In the early days it wasn't too difficult. Routes were relatively short and as long as there was a means of communication it was possible to pass on information. Documentation on the airports and their facilities could be produced for reference and when the information changed an amendment could be communicated. Sometimes the amendment was of a long-term nature, such as the opening of a new runway; sometimes it was short term, such as temporary non-availability of fuel. Eventually the documentation evolved into the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). Long-term information became amendments to the AIP, with the short-term changes becoming Notices to Airmen (NOTAM). As aviation grew in the inter-war years the need for standardisation became apparent.

Standards

The Convention on International Civil Aviation (also known as the Chicago Convention) of 1944 at which 32 States set up the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) set the standards. There are now 189 ICAO contracting States. Annex 15 to the Convention contains Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS) covering Aeronautical information Services (AIS). The standards cover such things as Aeronautical Information Publications (the AIP), Notices to Airmen (NOTAM), Aeronautical Information Regulation and Control (AIRAC), Aeronautical Information Circulars (AIC), Pre-flight and Post-flight information, and Telecommunication requirements.

So the first thing we learn is that the presentation of the information conforms to International, rather than British Standards.

Provision of Information

The Convention requires each State to provide an Aeronautical Information Service. In the UK the State is represented by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), a Public Corporation set up by the Department for Transport (DfT). It provides AIS through National Air Traffic Services (NATS), a public/private partnership, the principal partners of which are Government and parts of the Air Transport Industry. AIS is currently housed in the Control Tower Building at London's Heathrow Airport. The easiest way to get hold of the information it provides is via its website: www.ais.org.uk

The AIP

The AIP is defined by ICAO as 'A publication issued by or with the authority of a State and containing aeronautical information of a lasting character essential to air navigation'. UK AIS maintains a complete updated library of the AIPs of all ICAO States that you are welcome to consult.

English is the international language of aviation so the AIPs generally contain English text. A number of States make them available on the Internet, you can find links to foreign AIS sites on the UK AIS website.

ICAO says: "When practicable, the form of presentation is designed to facilitate their use in flight." In most two-seaters carrying the UK AIP in paper form leaves no room for a passenger! Carrying two or three other European AIPs would leave no room for the pilot either!

However, there's a wealth of useful information in there so let's get a feel for the structure. There are three main parts to the UK AIP (found on the AIS website under 'Publications'):

GEN - General Information. Contains details of National Regulations, differences from ICAO Standards, Services available (including AIS, Search and Rescue, Charts and Meteorological Services) and a very useful set of tables covering subjects as diverse as abbreviations, chart symbology, ICAO codes, radio navigation aids and conversion tables.

ENR - En Route. Includes Flight Rules, Airspace Classification, flight procedures, navigation aids, danger areas and other hazards, flight planning and interception.

AD - Aerodromes. Contains details of all licensed UK aerodromes, including aerodrome and approach charts, frequencies, hours of operation and facilities, not dissimilar to the information available in Flight Guides, but available free and always up to date.

Where next?

We'll return to the AIP later. Next month I'll look in more detail at Pre-Flight Briefing and how to get the information you need to fulfil your legal obligations.

Contacts

UK AIS website: www.ais.org.uk

Backup site in the event of failure of the main site: www.nats.co.uk/operational/pibs

Recorded Information Line: 0500 354802 (24hrs)

AIS Duty Officer: 020 8745 3450/3451 (24hrs)

Foreign AIP Library: 020 8745 3471

From the NOTAM

1-6 October. Blackpool. Conservative Party Conference. No fly zone.

16 October, 1145-1545. Duxford. Air Show - no fly zones and restrictions.

24 November. Four new Class D Control Areas (CTAs) will be introduced around the existing Edinburgh Control Zone. The new CTAs replace parts of Class E Scottish TMA in the Glasgow-Edinburgh area. The current Control Zone remains unchanged. Revised instrument arrival and departure procedures will be introduced. VFR entry/exit routes and Visual Reference Points remain unchanged. The changes will be incorporated into the 1:250000 chart The Borders in April 2006. Other charts, including the half-mil Northern England And Northern Ireland will be completed by August 2006. A copy of the map showing the new airspace is available on the CAA website.