Feb. 14, 2014
Starting on Feb. 18, FAA will disseminate letters to airmen (LTAs) via its website rather than via the U.S. Postal Service, email or bulletin board postings, as the agency had been doing.
Bob Lamond, NBAA’s director, air traffic services and infrastructure, has for some time been working with the FAA on moving dissemination of LTAs away from hard copy to modern-day distribution via the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) website.
“This is a tremendous step forward in providing NBAA Members with this critical information, so they can be fully prepared for all conditions impacting their flights, Lamond said. “The FAA eagerly embraced this opportunity to modernize this aspect of the national airspace system for operators.”
Lamond tied his efforts on the RTCA NOTAM Improvement Working Group with this ongoing need. He suggested to FAA that LTAs be tied to a NOTAM search that a pilot or scheduler/dispatcher performs at the FAA’s NOTAM site.
Initially, searching for NOTAMs on a particular airport will bring up any LTA associated with that airport. When the “route search” capability is added to that website later this year, any LTAs issue by TRACONs or centers that affect the route of flight will also be displayed, Lamond explained.
“It is important to note that in order to find LTAs, you must use the FAA NOTAM search website rather than the ‘PilotWeb’ or DoD NOTAMs websites,” he said. “Eventually all three sites will be consolidated into one site combining the best features of all three.”
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.