During preflight planning, it is imperative to check the Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) as these notices are considered essential to flight safety and contain information not known sufficiently in advance to publicize by other means. NOTAMs, as well as other current information pertinent to a flight, are available from a variety of sources, including the FAA NOTAM website, Flight Service and in mobile flight planning apps.
NOTAMs are classed as Domestic NOTAMs, Flight Data Center, or FDC, NOTAMs, International NOTAMs, or Military NOTAMs.
Domestic NOTAMs, commonly referred to as NOTAM D, report changes of navaid status, runway conditions, airspace, personnel and equipment near or crossing runways, and other information essential for operations. NOTAM Ds are classified by a keyword near the beginning of the NOTAM. For example, Apron for airport ramps, RWY for runway, or Nav for a Navigation Aid. D NOTAMS are also issued for updates to special use airspace or other general airspace activity, like drone flights or planned firework displays.
FDC NOTAMs deal with regulatory information such as amendments to instrument approach procedures and other current aeronautical charts. They also disseminate information about temporary flight restrictions. FDC NOTAMs do not deal with navaid outages, runway conditions, and other nonregulatory information.
International NOTAMs are issued for airports outside of the U.S. and are also available on the FAA’s NOTAM website and in several flight planning apps. These are presented in a standardized international format using keywords and abbreviations.
The last type, Military NOTAMs, are intended for users of a military or joint-use facility and are published in the International NOTAM format.
