The House of Representatives has approved a bill to improve the FAA’s NOTAM system.
“The recent NOTAM system meltdown highlighted a huge vulnerability in our air transportation system and underscores the need to address the leadership vacuum at FAA,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO). “As a professional pilot, I use the NOTAM system on a regular basis, and I know firsthand the importance of ensuring that it’s reliable and functional.”
H.R. 346, the NOTAM Improvement Act of 2023, introduced by Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), will establish an FAA task force to determine what improvements should be made to the NOTAM system.
H.R. 346 was approved by the House by a vote of 424 to 4. The legislation also passed the House with bipartisan support in the 116th and 117th Congresses.
In the wake of the Jan. 11, 2023, failure of the NOTAM system, Stauber included updates to his legislation to ensure the stability, resiliency, and cybersecurity of the NOTAM computer system are also considered by the task force.
“Failures of the NOTAM system earlier this month stressed the need to upgrade the program to ensure the safety of pilots, their crews, and passengers,” said Stauber. “I’ve heard from many pilots over the years about the vulnerabilities of the NOTAM system and my bill has previously passed the House twice. It’s now time for the Senate to act and pass this important legislation before another failure of the NOTAM system occurs.”
An initial review by the FAA found that contract personnel “unintentionally deleted files,” which led to the systems crash. FAA officials added they found “no evidence of a cyber-attack or malicious intent.”
According to a Reuters news report, the system includes two separate databases: A 30-year-old system known as the U.S. NOTAM System based in Oklahoma City, which is being phased out in favor of the newer Federal NOTAM system based in Atlantic City.
That story also notes that the Jan. 11, 2023, file corruption occurred in the U.S. NOTAM system, which then infiltrated the Federal NOTAM database. The FAA has since installed safeguards, including a staggered updating process to isolate issues before they could impact the other database. The FAA is requiring two people to be present when routine maintenance is being conducted, agency officials said.
The first thing that needs to be done is to de-woke NOTAMs and return them to their official name that real pilots will always use: NOTICES TO AIRMEN.
From GANews, 12/7/21: “Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) have a new name: Notices to Air Mission. Effective Dec. 2, 2021, the new name is a “more applicable term” that is “inclusive of all aviators and missions.” The name change has already been made to many FAA documents, according to agency officials. The name change is one of many we will see as the FAA reviews its language and strives to make it more inclusive. The agency recently held on online Inclusive Language Summit that addresses some of these changes.”
Don’t these woke nimrods understand that the MEN in AIRMEN refers to MANKIND, and not the people with the Y chromosomes? Sheesh. This is about as stupid as the pastor who ended a prayer in Congress – after Biden was installed, with “A-MEN and A-WOMAN”. He apparently did not know that AMEN is derived from the Hebrew word āmēn, which means “certainty,” “truth,” and “verily.”
It is these sort of PC, idiotic decisions by our government that are rapidly eroding our confidence in the FAA. The aviation alphabets and aviation media should have pushed back on all efforts to inject woke mental disorder into the FAA. Just yesterday an airline pilot friend told me that his employer is now allowing female pilots to wear a hijab, a head covering, an exception to the rulers disallowing hats to be worn in the cockpit. The next thing we will see are pilots in burkas in the name of inclusivity? Or modified cockpits to allow full-figured people like the shop teacher in Halton District School of Canada to fit into cramped quarters. Count me out as an airline passenger.
Totally agree with You.