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Learning hub · Flight Planning and Monitoring · Lesson 3

NOTAMs and the pre-flight briefing

The chart in your bag is a snapshot. Runways close, cranes go up, airspace is activated and navigation aids fail, and the chart does not know. A NOTAM is how the world tells you what has changed since the last time the paper was printed. This lesson shows how to read one and where it fits in your briefing.

About 12 minutes, plus the quiz. Part of Flight Planning and Monitoring. It builds on the navigation log and in-flight monitoring and on the wind triangle.

1. What a NOTAM is

A NOTAM is a Notice to Airmen (the name is now sometimes written Notice to Air Missions): a short message about the establishment, condition or change of any aeronautical facility, service, procedure or hazard, which pilots need to know about in time. It is issued by the national aeronautical information service.

The types of information are:

  • Aerodrome: closed or damaged runways and taxiways, lighting out of service, changed services, work in progress.
  • Airspace: temporary restricted or danger areas, activities such as parachuting or military flying, changed airspace limits.
  • Navigation aids: a VOR, NDB or GNSS service out of use.
  • Hazards: tall obstacles such as cranes, balloons, unlit towers, birds, or volcanic ash.

2. Reading a NOTAM

The classic ICAO format has a number, a coded line starting Q), and then lettered fields:

  • A) the location, using the ICAO code of the aerodrome or FIR.
  • B) when it starts and C) when it ends, in UTC as year, month, day, hour and minute (YYMMDDhhmm). An end of PERM means permanent, and EST means the end is estimated.
  • D) hours of activity, if it is not continuous.
  • E) the message in plain abbreviated language.
  • F) and G) the lower and upper limits, for airspace items.

The Q line is for computers and filters. It holds the FIR, a five-letter Q code that says what it is about, who it affects (IFR, VFR), what it is for, its scope, lower and upper limits, and a position and radius. The words after the first NOTAM number say whether it is new (NOTAMN), replaces an earlier one (NOTAMR) or cancels one (NOTAMC).

Example, invented (the aerodrome does not exist):

A1234/26 NOTAMNQ) LRBB/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4528N02555E005A) LRXX B) 2611010600 C) 2611011400E) RWY 09/27 CLSD DUE WIP

Decoded: NOTAM number 1234 of 2026, a new NOTAM. In the Q line, LRBB is the flight information region (FIR), QMRLC is a runway closed, IV means it affects IFR and VFR traffic, NBO means it is for immediate attention, for the briefing and for flight operations, A means aerodrome level, and the last part is a position and a 5 NM radius. The aerodrome is LRXX. It runs from 06:00 UTC to 14:00 UTC on 1 November 2026, and the text says that runway 09/27 is closed because of work in progress (WIP).

3. AIP, AIC and the AIRAC cycle

NOTAMs handle the short-term changes. The long-term information lives elsewhere:

  • The AIP (Aeronautical Information Publication) is the official national reference for airspace, aerodromes, procedures and rules. A temporary but long change goes in an AIP supplement.
  • An AIC (Aeronautical Information Circular) carries explanations, advice and administrative information that is not suited to the AIP or a NOTAM.
  • The AIRAC (Aeronautical Information Regulation and Control) system sets fixed dates, 28 days apart, on which important changes take effect, so everyone updates charts and data on the same day. The idea is that big changes are published well in advance and come into force together.

You find them at your national aeronautical information service (AIS). In Romania the AIS is operated by ROMATSA; ask your school for the current AIP and NOTAM site, because web addresses change. Training apps, including VectorEFB, may show some information, but they are not the official source.

4. The pre-flight briefing checklist

The briefing is the point where all the planning meets. A sensible order for a VFR cross-country is:

  1. Weather: METARs and TAFs for the route, the aerodromes and the alternates, charts and any warnings.
  2. NOTAMs: for the departure, destination, alternate and route, including airspace activity and navigation aids. Read them all, not only the ones that look relevant.
  3. Airspace and aerodrome data: current charts and the AIP pages.
  4. Navigation log: tracks, headings, times (see the wind triangle) and fuel with reserves (see the navigation log and in-flight monitoring).
  5. Aeroplane: mass and balance, performance for the runways in use, and serviceability.
  6. Flight plan: file it if needed, and decide who will close it.
  7. You: are you fit, rested and in time? Decide what you will do if the weather is worse than expected.

A NOTAM that you did not read cannot help you. A training website or video cannot replace the official briefing. For a real flight, get your information from the official source and check it against your school’s procedures.

5. Try it yourself

Work each one out on paper first, then open the answer to compare. The numbers are invented.

  1. Decode this invented NOTAM text: B) 2603150700 C) 2603151500 E) PARACHUTING ACTIVITY WI 3 NM RADIUS OF 4510N02530E. During what times, in UTC, does it apply, and on which date? How would you use it?
    Show the answer
    1. B) is the start: 26 03 15 07 00, so 15 March 2026 at 07:00 UTC.
    2. C) is the end: 15 March 2026 at 15:00 UTC.
    3. E) says parachuting activity is going on within 3 NM of the stated position.

    Plot the position on your chart, keep well clear if your route passes near it between those times, or change the route or the time. Listen on the frequency of the aerodrome or information service for more.

  2. Which of these belongs in a NOTAM, and which belongs in the AIP or an AIC? (a) A temporary crane near the approach path to a runway. (b) The usual runway lengths and frequencies of an aerodrome. (c) Guidance about a new national procedure for flight plan filing.
    Show the answer
    1. (a) is a temporary hazard, so it belongs in a NOTAM.
    2. (b) is permanent aerodrome data, so it belongs in the AIP.
    3. (c) is an explanation or advice, so it belongs in an AIC.
  3. AIRAC dates are 28 days apart. A chart update takes effect on 5 November. When is the next AIRAC date after that?
    Show the answer
    1. Add 28 days to 5 November.
    2. November has 30 days, so 5 November + 25 days = 30 November, and 3 more days takes you to 3 December.

    The dates are invented, so check the real ones in an AIRAC calendar.

6. Watch

This video decodes ICAO-format NOTAMs and explains the Q codes. The channel appears to be American and the video mentions military NOTAMs, so some details may follow US practice rather than ICAO/European practice; check them against your national AIP.

Open on YouTube if the player does not load. Not made by VectorEFB; check what you learn against your flying school’s material and your instructor.

More to watch

A short second video on what a NOTAM is.

Open on YouTube if the player does not load. Not made by VectorEFB.

7. Check yourself

Five original practice questions. Answer them, press Check answers and read each explanation.

1. What does the C) field of a NOTAM show?

B) gives the start and C) the end, both in UTC. The location is A) and the plain-language text is E).

2. What does NOTAMC mean?

N is new, R replaces, and C cancels an earlier NOTAM.

3. AIRAC dates are used so that:

AIRAC sets fixed dates, 28 days apart, so that operationally important changes come into force together after enough notice.

4. Where should you look first for a published long-term rule or an aerodrome procedure?

The AIP is the national reference publication. NOTAMs add temporary changes on top of it.

5. Which is the best order for a briefing?

A full briefing covers weather, NOTAMs for the whole route, airspace, the navigation log and fuel, the aeroplane, the flight plan and yourself.

Back to the list in the learning hub. Back to the learning hub.

For training and situational awareness only. Not certified for navigation. Always use official charts, the AIP, NOTAMs and a proper weather briefing for real flights.