Source Data

The on-line NOTAM system, the use of which inspired this program, is based on a searchable database. The user is required to enter a number of items of information from which a NOTAM briefing, personalised to the specified parameters, is generated. The result can be a very long document which contains a great deal of information, of which much is of little use or interest to the average GA or Glider pilot. In fact the full briefing can run to forty pages. A number of types of briefing is available including:

These remove some of the complication of obtaining the briefing and reduce the size of the NOTAM by omitting certain data. The most useful briefing for the glider pilot is the Route Briefing which gives all en-route NOTAMS within the specified FIR and any notams pertaining to the specified departure and arrival airfields. This document can still, however, run to ten pages. The advantage of this system is that it is always up to date. It is also the definitive source and should be checked in the course of planning a flight.

NATS, now host all their data on the EAD database supplied by Eurocontrol. This is available through the EAD Basic service and can be requested to provide all UK (or other country's) NOTAMS. It is constantly updated and may be considered definative for UK NOTAMs. This is the data that NotamView uses.

Naturally, if you are at all worried that NotamView, is not presenting the complete picture, then you should access the database directly at the EAD Basic site.