What is a NOTAM and where can pilots access them?

5-1-3. Notice to Airmen (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 p ilots 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 online to the following URL:
https://www.notams.faa.gov/downloads/contractions.pdf. For a complete listing of approved NOTAM Contractions, see
F AA Order JO 7340.2, Contractions.
Preflight 5-1-3

AIM 2/20/25
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. NA V AID NOTAMs. Pilots should check NOTAMs to ensure NA V AIDs required for the flight are in
service. A NOTAM is published when a NA VAID is out of service or Unserviceable (U/S). Although a NA VAID
is deemed U/S and planned for removal from service, it may be a long time before that NA V AID is officially
decommissioned and removed from charts. A NOTAM is the primary method of alerting pilots to its
unavailability. Pilots using VFR charts can also review the Aeronautical Information Services' (AIS) website
concerning Safety Alerts, Charting Notices, and Digital Product Notices at
https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/safety_alerts/ for additional chart information.
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 A V AILABLE (A VBL),
and NOT A V AILABLE (A VBL) 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 testing NOTAMS are published and testing is actually occurring, ATC
will advise pilots requesting or cleared for a GPS or RNA V (GPS) approach, that GPS may not be available and
request the pilot's intentions. TBL 5-1-1 lists an example of a GPS testing NOTAM.
g. NOTAM Classification. NOTAM information is classified as Domestic NOTAMs (NOTAM D), Flight
Data Center (FDC) NOTAMs, International NOTAMs, or Military NOTAMs.
1. NOTAM (D) information is disseminated for all navigational facilities that are part of the National
Airspace System (NAS), all public use aerodromes, seaplane bases, and heliports listed in the Chart Supplement.
NOTAM (D) information includes taxiway closures, personnel and equipment near or crossing runways, and
airport lighting aids that do not affect instrument approach criteria (i.e., VGSI). All NOTAM Ds must have one
of the keywords listed in TBL 5-1-1, as the first part of the text after the location identifier. These keywords
categorize NOTAM Ds by subject, for example, APRON (ramp), RWY (runway), SVC (Services), etc. There
are several types of NOTAM Ds:
(a) Aerodrome activity and conditions, to include field conditions.
(b) Airspace to include CARF, SUA, and general airspace activity like UAS or pyrotechnics.
(c) Visual and radio navigational aids.
(d) Communication and services.
(e) Pointer NOTAMs. NOTAMs issued to point to additional aeronautical information. When pointing
to another NOTAM, the keyword in the pointer NOTAM must match the keyword in the original NOTAM.
Pointer NOTAMs should be issued for, but are not limited to, TFRs, Airshows, Temporary SUA, major NAS
system interruptions, etc.
2. FDC NOTAMs are issued when it is necessary to disseminate regulatory information. FDC NOTAMs
include:
(a) Amendments to published IAPs and other current aeronautical charts.
5-1-4 Preflight

2/20/25 AIM
(b) Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR) restrict entrance to a certain airspace at a certain time, however,
some TFRs provide relief if ATC permission is given to enter the area when requested. Online preflight resources
for TFRs provide graphics and plain language interpretations.
(c) High barometric pressure warning.
(d) Laser light activity.
(e) ADS-B, TIS-B, and FIS-B service availability.
(f) Satellite-based systems such as WAAS or GPS.
(g) Special Notices.
3. International NOTAMs are published in ICAO format per Annex 15 and distributed to multiple countries.
(a) International NOTAMs issued by the U.S. NOTAM Office use Series A followed by 4 sequential
numbers, a slant "/" and a 2-digit number representing the year the NOTAM was issued. International NOTAMs
basically duplicate data found in a U.S. Domestic NOTAM.
(b) Not every topic of a U.S. Domestic NOTAM is issued as an International NOTAM by the U.S. The
U.S. International NOTAM will be linked to the appropriate U.S. Domestic NOTAM when possible.
(c) International NOTAMs received by the FAA from other countries are stored in the U.S. NOTAM
System.
(d) The International NOTAM format includes a "Q" Line that can be easily read/parsed by a computer
and allows the NOTAM to be displayed digitally.
(1) Field A: ICAO location identifier or FIR affected by the NOTAM.
(2) Field B: Start of Validity.
(3) Field C: End of Validity (both in [Year][Month][Day][Hour][Minute] format).
(4) Field D: (when present) Schedule.
(5) Field E: Full NOTAM description.
(6) Field F: (when present) Lowest altitude, or "SFC."
(7) Field G: (when present) Highest altitude, or "UNL."
(e) For more on International format, please see Annex 15.
4. Military NOTAMs are NOTAMs originated by the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine, or Navy, and
pertaining to military or joint -use navigational aids/airports that are part of the NAS. Military NOTAMs are
published in the International NOTAM format and should be reviewed by users of a military or joint-use facility.
h. Security NOTAMS:
1. U.S. Domestic Security NOTAMS are FDC NOTAMS that inform pilots of certain U.S. security
activities or requirements, such as Special Security Instructions for aircraft operations to, from, within, or
transitioning U.S. territorial airspace. These NOTAMS are found on the Federal NOTAM System (FNS)
NOTAM Search website under the location designator KZZZ.
2. United States International Flight Prohibitions, Potential Hostile Situations, and Foreign Notices are
issued by the FAA and are found on the Federal NOTAM System (FNS) NOTAM Search website under the
location designator KICZ.
Preflight 5-1-5

AIM 2/20/25
TBL 5-1-1
NOTAM Keywords
Keyword Definition
RWY .......
Example
Runway
!BNA BNA RWY 18/36 CLSD YYMMDDHHMM-YYMMDDHHMM
TWY .......
Example
Taxiway
!BTV BTV TWY C EDGE LGT OBSC YYMMDDHHMM-YYMMDDHHMM
APRON .....
Example
Apron/Ramp
!BNA BNA APRON NORTH APN E 100FT CLSD YYMMDDHHMM-YYMMDDHHMM
AD .........
Example
Aerodrome
!BET BET AD AP ELK NEAR MOVEMENT AREAS YYMMDDHHMM-YYMMDDHHMM
OBST .......
Example
Obstruction
!SJT SJT OBST MOORED BALLOON WI AN AREA DEFINED AS 1NM RADIUS OF SJT 2430FT (510FT
AGL) FLAGGED YYMMDDHHMM-YYMMDDHHMM
NA V ........
Example
Navigation Aids
!SHV SHV NA V ILS RWY 32 110.3 COMMISSIONED YYMMDDHHMM-PERM
COM .......
Example
Communications
!INW INW COM REMOTE COM OUTLET 122.6 U/S YYMMDDHHMM-YYMMDDHHMM EST
(Note* EST will auto cancel)
SVC ........
Example
Services
!ROA ROA SVC TWR COMMISSIONED YYMMDDHHMM-PERM
AIRSPACE ..
Example
Airspace
!MHV MHV AIRSPACE AEROBATIC ACFT WI AN AREA DEFINED AS 4.3NM RADIUS OF MHV
5500FT-10500FT A VOIDANCE ADZ CTC JOSHUA APP DLY YYMMDDHHMM-YYMMDDHHMM
ODP ........
Example
Obstacle Departure Procedure
!FDC 2/9700 DIK ODP DICKINSON - THEODORE ROOSEVELT RGNL, DICKINSON, ND. TAKEOFF
MINIMUMS AND (OBSTACLE) DEPARTURE PROCEDURES AMDT 1... DEPARTURE PROCEDURE:
RWY 25, CLIMB HEADING 250 TO 3500 BEFORE TURNING LEFT. ALL OTHER DATA REMAINS AS
PUBLISHED. THIS IS TAKEOFF MINIMUMS AND (OBSTACLE) DEPARTURE PROCEDURES, AMDT
1A. YYMMDDHHMM-PERM
SID .........
Example
Standard Instrument Departure
!FDC x/xxxx DFW SID DALLAS/FORT WORTH INTL, DALLAS, TX. PODDE THREE DEPARTURE...
CHANGE NOTES TO READ: RWYS 17C/R, 18L/R: DO NOT EXCEED 240KT UNTIL LARRN. RWYS
35L/C, 36L/R: DO NOT EXCEED 240KT UNTIL KMART YYMMDDHHMM-YYMMDDHHMM
STAR .......
Example
Standard Terminal Arrival
!FDC x/xxxx DCA STAR RONALD REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL,WASHINGTON, DC. WZRRD
TWO ARRIV AL... SHAAR TRANSITION: ROUTE FROM DRUZZ INT TO WZRRD INT NOT AUTHO-
RIZED. AFTER DRUZZ INT EXPECT RADAR VECTORS TO AML VORTAC YYMMDDHHMM-YYM-
MDDHHMM
CHART .....
Example
Chart
!FDC 2/9997 DAL IAP DALLAS LOVE FIELD, DALLAS, TX. ILS OR LOC RWY 31R, AMDT 5... CHART
NOTE: SIMULTANEOUS APPROACH AUTHORIZED WITH RWY 31L. MISSED APPROACH: CLIMB
TO 1000 THEN CLIMBING RIGHT TURN TO 5000 ON HEADING 330 AND CVE R-046 TO FINGR INT/
CVE 36.4 DME AND HOLD. CHART LOC RWY 31L. THIS IS ILS OR LOC RWY 31R, AMDT 5A. YYM-
MDDHHMM-PERM
DATA .......
Example
Data
!FDC 2/9700 DIK ODP DICKINSON - THEODORE ROOSEVELT RGNL, DICKINSON, ND. TAKEOFF
MINIMUMS AND (OBSTACLE) DEPARTURE PROCEDURES AMDT 1... DEPARTURE PROCEDURE:
RWY 25, CLIMB HEADING 250 TO 3500 BEFORE TURNING LEFT. ALL OTHER DATA REMAINS AS
PUBLISHED. THIS IS TAKEOFF MINIMUMS AND (OBSTACLE) DEPARTURE PROCEDURES, AMDT
1A. YYMMDDHHMM-PERM
5-1-6 Preflight

2/20/25 AIM
Keyword Definition
IAP .........
Example
Instrument Approach Procedure
!FDC 2/9997 DAL IAP DALLAS LOVE FIELD, DALLAS, TX. ILS OR LOC RWY 31R, AMDT 5... CHART
NOTE: SIMULTANEOUS APPROACH AUTHORIZED WITH RWY 31L. MISSED APPROACH: CLIMB
TO 1000 THEN CLIMBING RIGHT TURN TO 5000 ON HEADING 330 AND CVE R-046 TO FINGR INT/
CVE 36.4 DME AND HOLD. CHART LOC RWY 31L. THIS IS ILS OR LOC RWY 31R, AMDT 5A. YYM-
MDDHHMM-PERM
VFP ........
Example
Visual Flight Procedures
!FDC X/XXXX JFK VFP JOHN F KENNEDY INTL, NEW YORK, NY . PARKWAY VISUAL RWY 13L/R,
ORIG...WEATHER MINIMUMS 3000 FOOT CEILING AND 3 MILES VISIBILITY . YYMMDDHHMM-
YYMMDDHHMM
ROUTE .....
Example
Route
!FDC x/xxxx ZFW ROUTE ZFW ZKC. V140 SAYRE (SYO) VORTAC, OK TO TULSA (TUL) VORTAC,
OK MEA 4300. YYMMDDHHMM-YYMMDDHHMM EST
SPECIAL ...
Example
Special
!FDC x/xxxx JNU SPECIAL JUNEAU INTERNATIONAL, JUNEAU, AK. LDA-2 RWY 8 AMDT 9 PROCE-
DURE TURN NA. YYMMDDHHMM-YYMMDDHHMM
SECURITY ..
Example
Security
!FDC x/xxxx FDC ...SPECIAL NOTICE... THIS IS A RESTATEMENT OF A PREVIOUSLY ISSUED ADVI-
SORY NOTICE. IN THE INTEREST OF NATIONAL SECURITY AND TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE,
PILOTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO A VOID THE AIRSPACE ABOVE, OR IN PROXIMITY TO SUCH
SITES AS POWER PLANTS (NUCLEAR, HYDRO-ELECTRIC, OR COAL), DAMS, REFINERIES, IN-
DUSTRIAL COMPLEXES, MILITARY FACILITIES AND OTHER SIMILAR FACILITIES. PILOTS
SHOULD NOT CIRCLE AS TO LOITER IN THE VICINITY OVER THESE TYPES OF FACILITIES.
GPS Global Positioning System Testing
TESTING !GPS 01/028 ZAB NA V GPS (YPG_AZ GPS 21-06)(INCLUDING WAAS, GBAS, AND ADS-B) MAYNOT
Example BE A VBL WI A276NM RADIUS CENTERED AT 332347N1142221W
(BLH108023) FL400-UNL,
232NM RADIUS AT FL250,
164NM RADIUS AT 100000FT
160NM RADIUS AT 4000FT AGL
126NM RADIUS AT 50FT AGL
DLY 1830-2230
2101281830-2101292230
PRN (GPS)
Example
Pseudo-random noise code used to differentiate GPS satellites. This code allows any receiver to identify exactly
which satellite(s) it is receiving.
!GPS GPS NA V PRN 16 U/S 2109231600-2109242300EST
TBL 5-1-2
Contractions Commonly Found in NOTAMs
A
A B N .......... Aerodrome Beacon
ACFT ......... Aircraft
A C T .......... Active
A D J .......... Adjacent
A G L .......... Above Ground Level
A L S .......... Approach Light System
A P ........... Airport
A P N .......... Apron
A P P .......... Approach control office or approach
control or approach control service
ARST ......... Arresting (specify (part of) aircraft
arresting equipment)
ASDA ......... Accelerate Stop Distance Available
ASPH ......... Asphalt
AUTH ........ Authorized or authorization
A V B L ......... Available or availability
A VGAS ....... Aviation gasoline
A W O S ........ Automatic Weather Observing System
A Z M .......... Azimuth
B
B A ........... Braking action
B C N .......... Beacon (aeronautical ground light)
BCST ......... Broadcast
B D R Y ......... Boundary
BLDG ......... Building
B L W .......... Below
B T N .......... Between
C
C ............. Center (preceded by runway designator
number to identify a parallel runway)
C D ........... Clearance delivery
C I V ........... Civil
C L ........... Centerline
CLSD ......... Close or closed or closing
C O M ......... Communication
CONC ........ Concrete
Preflight 5-1-7

AIM 2/20/25
COND ........ Condition
CONS ......... Continuous
CONST ....... Construction or constructed
CPDLC ........ Controller Pilot Data Link
Communications
C T C .......... Contact
CUST ......... Customs
D
D A ........... Decision altitude
D E G .......... Degrees
D E P .......... Depart or Departure
D E R .......... Departure end of the runway
D H ........... Decision Height
DIST .......... Distance
D L Y .......... Daily
D P ........... Dew Point Temperature
D P T .......... Depth
DTHR ......... Displaced Runway Threshold
E
E ............. East or eastern longititude
E B ........... Eastbound
EMERG ....... Emergency
E N E .......... East-northeast
EQPT ......... Equipment
E S E .......... East-southeast
E S T .......... Estimate or estimated or estimation
(message type designator)
E X C .......... Except
F
F L ............ Flight level
FREQ ......... Frequency
F R I ........... Friday
F S S ........... Flight Service Station
F S T ........... First
F T ............ Feet (dimensional unit)
G
G ............. Green
G A ........... General aviation
G L D .......... Glider
G N D .......... Ground
G P ........... Glide Path
G R V L ......... Gravel
H
H E L .......... Helicopter
H G T .......... Height or height above
HLDG ........ Holding
H L P .......... Heliport
H V Y .......... Heavy
I
I F R ........... Instrument Flight Rules
I L S ........... Instrument Landing System
I M ............ Inner Marker
INOP ......... Inoperative
I N T ........... Intersection
K
K T ........... Knots
L .............
L
Left (preceded by runway designator
number to identify a parallel runway)
L A T .......... Latitude
L D A .......... Landing Distance Available
L D G .......... Landing
L E N .......... Length
L G T .......... Light or lighting
LGTD ......... Lighted
L O C .......... Localizer
LONG ........ Longitude
M
MAINT ....... Maintenance
MBST ......... Microburst
M I L .......... Military
M I N .......... Minutes
M N T .......... Monitor or monitoring or monitored
M O N ......... Monday
M O V ......... Move or moving or movement
N
N ............. North
N A V A I D ....... Navigational aid
N B ........... Northbound
N D B .......... Nondirectional Radio Beacon
N E ........... Northeast
N E B .......... Northeast bound
N M ........... Nautical Mile/s
N N E .......... North-northeast
N N W ......... North-northwest
N O V .......... November
N W ........... Northwest
N W B ......... Northwest bound
O
OBSC ......... Obscure or obscured or obscuring
OBST ......... Obstacle
O P N .......... Open or opening or opened
O P S .......... Operations
P
P A P I .......... Precision Approach Path Indicator
P A R L ......... Parallel
P A X .......... Passenger/s
P C L .......... Pilot Controlled Lighting
P C T .......... Percent
PERM ......... Permanent
P J E ........... Parachute Jumping Activities
P L A .......... Practice Low Approach
P P R .......... Prior Permission Required
P R N .......... Pseudo-random Navigation
P T ............ Procedure Turn
R
R ............. Red
R ............. Right (preceded by runway designator
number to identify a parallel runway)
R A I ........... Runway Alignment Indicator
R C L .......... Runway Centerline
5-1-8 Preflight

2/20/25 AIM
RCLL ......... Runway Centerline Light
REDL ......... Runway Edge Light
RLLS ......... Runway Lead-in Light System
R M K ......... Remark
R T S .......... Return to Service
R T Z L ......... Runway Touchdown Zone Light(s)
R V R .......... Runway Visual Range
R W Y ......... Runway
R X ........... Receive/Receiver
S
S ............. South or southern latitude
S A ........... Sand
S A T .......... Saturday
S B ............ Southbound
S E ............ Southeast
S E C .......... Seconds
S F C .......... Surface
S N ........... Snow
S R ............ Sunrise
S S ............ Sunset
S S R .......... Secondary surveillance radar
S S W .......... South-southwest
S T D .......... Standard
S U N .......... Sunday
S W ........... Southwest
S W B .......... Southwest bound
T
T A R .......... Terminal area surveillance radar
T A X .......... Taxing or taxiing
T D Z .......... Touchdown Zone
TEMPO ....... Temporary or temporarily
T F C .......... Traffic
T H R .......... Threshold
T H U .......... Thursday
TKOF ......... Takeoff
T O D A ......... Take-off Distance Available
T O R A ......... Take-off Run Available
T R G .......... Training
T U E .......... Tuesday
T W R .......... Aerodrome Control Tower
T W Y ......... Taxiway
T X ........... Taxilane
U
U / S ........... Unserviceable
U A S .......... Unmanned Aircraft System
U N L .......... Unlimited
UNREL ....... Unreliable
V
V I S ........... Visibility
V O R .......... VHF Omni-Directional Radio Range
V O R T A C ...... VOR and TACAN (collocated)
V O T .......... VOR Test Facility
W
W ............ West or western longitude
W B ........... Westbound
W D I .......... Wind Direction Indicator
W E D ......... Wednesday
W I ........... Within
W I D .......... Width or wide
W I P .......... Work in progress
W N W ......... West-northwest
W S ........... Wind shear
W S W ......... West-southwest