New NOTAM search tool a boon for pilots

The FAA has rolled out its new NOTAM search capability.

For pilots, NOTAM Search means that the days of rooting around trying to find applicable NOTAMs while planning for a flight are just about over, according to a report on the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) website.

New functionalities are already in place that improve the NOTAM search process, and by next fall, implementation of all four phases of the new service will be complete.

Thanks in large part to the Pilot’s Bill of Rights, which was signed into law in 2012, a NOTAM Improvement Panel was established under the auspices of RTCA. After months of collaboration, the NOTAM task group provided many recommendations to be implemented by the FAA.

NOTAM Search enhancements currently available include an upgraded Route of Flight Query, according to Bob Lamond, NBAA’s director of air traffic services and infrastructure.

“Pilots can now enter their route of flight, adjust the route width and retrieve NOTAMs relevant to their flight path,” he said. “NOTAM Search will provide all NOTAMs within the buffered flight path, as well as for divert airports.”

New filters are also available on NOTAM Search, including the ability to view only those NOTAMs that are effective during a specified time period. Filters for specific keywords (runway, taxiway, “CLSD,” etc.) and classes are also available, and some lengthy NOTAMs related to regulatory notices and air route traffic control facilities may be deleted or included as necessary.

Upcoming improvements in NOTAM Search will enable aviators to create user profiles, which will allow pilots to save search preferences, save filter and sorting settings, designate preferred airports and more. New filter enhancements will include the ability to search by procedure type and runway characteristics, and the enhanced tool will enable pilots to utilize NOTAM Search on tablets and mobile devices.