5-1-3. Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM)
System
a. General. The NOTAM system provides pilots
with time critical aeronautical information that is
temporary, or information to be published on
aeronautical charts at a later date, or information from
another operational publication. The NOTAM is
cancelled when the information in the NOTAM is
published on the chart or when the temporary
condition is returned to normal status. NOTAMs may
be disseminated up to 7 days before the start of
activity. Pilots can access NOTAM information
online
via
NOTAM
Search
at:
https://notams.aim.faa.gov/notamSearch/ or from an
FSS.
b. Preflight. 14 CFR  91.103, Preflight Action
directs pilots to become familiar with all available
information concerning a planned flight prior to
departure, including NOTAMs. Pilots may change
their flight plan based on available information.
Current NOTAM information may affect:
1. Aerodromes.
2. Runways, taxiways, and ramp restrictions.
3. Obstructions.
4. Communications.
5. Airspace.
6. Status of navigational aids or radar service
availability.
7. Other information essential to planned en
route, terminal, or landing operations.
c. ARTCC NOTAMs. Pilots should also review
NOTAMs for the ARTCC area (for example,
Washington Center (ZDC), Cleveland Center (ZOB),
etc.) in which the flight will be operating. You can
find the 3 letter code for each ARTCC on the FAA"s
NOTAM webpage. These NOTAMs may affect the
planned flight. Some of the operations include
Central Altitude Reservation Function (CARF),
Special Use Airspace (SUA), Temporary Flight
Restrictions (TFR), Global Positioning System
(GPS), Flight Data Center (FDC) changes to routes,
wind turbine, and Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).
NOTE-
NOTAM information is transmitted using ICAO contractions to reduce transmission time. See TBL 5-1-2 for a
listing of the most commonly used contractions, or go

Preflight

online to the following URL:
https://www.notams.faa.gov/downloads/contractions.pdf.
For a complete listing of approved NOTAM Contractions,
see FAA JO Order 7340.2, Contractions.

d. Destination Update. Pilots should also contact
ATC or FSS while en route to obtain updated airfield
information for their destination. This is particularly
important when flying to the airports without an
operating control tower. Snow removal, fire and
rescue activities, construction, and wildlife encroachment, may pose hazards to pilots. This information
may not be available to pilots prior to arrival/departure.
e. NAVAID NOTAMs. Pilots should check
NOTAMs to ensure NAVAIDs required for the flight
are in service. A NOTAM is published when a
NAVAID is out of service or Unserviceable (U/S).
Although a NAVAID is deemed U/S and planned for
removal from service, it may be a long time before
that NAVAID is officially decommissioned and
removed from charts. A NOTAM is the primary
method of alerting pilots to its unavailability. It is
recommended that pilots using VFR charts should
regularly consult the Chart Update Bulletin. This
bulletin identifies any updates to the chart that have
not yet been accounted for.
f. GPS NOTAMs. The FAA issues information on
the status of GPS through the NOTAM system.
Operators may find information on GPS satellite
outages, GPS testing, and GPS anomalies by
specifically searching for GPS NOTAMS prior to
flight.
1. The NOTAM system uses the terms UNRELIABLE (UNREL), MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE
(AVBL), and NOT AVAILABLE (AVBL) when
describing the status of GPS. UNREL indicates the
expected level of service of the GPS and/or WAAS
may not be available. Pilots must then determine the
adequacy of the signal for desired use. Aircraft should
have additional navigation equipment for their
intended route.
NOTE-
Unless associated with a known testing NOTAM, pilots
should report GPS anomalies, including degraded
operation and/or loss of service, as soon as possible via
radio or telephone, and via the GPS Anomaly Reporting
Form. (See 1-1-13.)

2. GPS operations may also be NOTAMed for
testing. This is indicated in the NOTAM language
with the name of the test in parenthesis. When GPS

5-1-3