Notam Display

There are a number of software packages available that display NOTAM information in a graphical, more readily understandable format.

However, in August 2002, the AIS stopped providing NOTAM data with the 'Q Line' needed by these software packages to unambiguously decode the size and shape of an affected area. This rendered the previous generation of display packages unusable.

The following describes what is currently available (April 2004). Inclusion here does not imply BGA approval for these packages and pilots should ensure that they are suitable for their requirements.

NOTAM Plot

A new version of Notamplot (version 2) has been released which uses approved NOTAM data sourced from AvBrief. AvBrief source their NOTAM data from AIS under agreement with NATS Services Ltd. For more details of this new version of NotamPlot, please follow this link. www.notamplot.flyer.co.uk

A file (UserWapoints.xml) containing the current list of BGA TPs which can be used with NotamPlot v2.0 is available. To download, right click, and select "Save Target As...". Thanks to Mike Borrowdale for creating the file and to to Ian Fallon, designer of NotamPlot, for his help in explaining some of the finer points of the data format. As always with this type of data, use is entirely at the user's discretion.

NOTAM Pro

The current version of NoatmPro (v1.0.4) is also able to display NOTAM data in the new form. However, this uses pre-flight information bulletins from NATS which are only updated twice daily. It is possible that information displayed may not be 100% up to date. For more details on Notam Pro please follow this link. www.notampro.com

NOTAM Check

NOTAM Check is another NOTAM display program. We understand that this uses the same data source as NotamPro. NOTAM Check displays NOTAMs as their true shape and not a 'circle of influence' derived from a Q-line as seen in other NOTAM plotting software. NOTAM Check claims to be the only software available that can do this for all plottable NOTAMs. Version 3.20 includes; multiple waypoints for user route; user route can include BGA turn points; Class A, Class D, ATZ and MATZ airspace shown on map. For more information follow this link. www.notamcheck.com.

NOTAMView

NotamView attempts to determine the shape of notam areas and to display the true extent of the notam. It is able to handle multiple circles and areas and to identify and draw danger areas. It is compatible with the recent inclusion of the Q-line and user options determine when this is displayed. Further details can be found at www.notamview.org.uk

SPINE

SPINE (Soaring Pilot’s Intelligent NOTAMs Editor) provides a simple interface to the AIS web site for downloading NOTAMs. Using its customisable filtering feature, Spine then analyses the NOTAMs and marks those not relevant for deletion. You then browse through the entries, making changes as necessary, then Spine produces a formatted print out of the final selection. The output can be sorted in a number of ways, including by distance and bearing from a fixed location, such as your home airfield, and ranges can be set to restrict the downloaded NOTAMs to a particular area. As well as printing NOTAMs directly, Spine’s output can be saved to a file, either as HTML or in OpenAir format for use with a PDA (running, for example, XCSoar or Winpilot) to display the boundaries of NOTAMed airspace in flight. Further details are at www.enborne.f2s.com/gliding/spine.htm