What You Don't Know May Surprise You

What You Don't Know May Surprise You:

Read your NOTAMS

The NOTAM or "Notice to Airmen" is aviation's way of letting us know that danger or some other hazard awaits us at the point of departure, enroute or at destination.  Yet amazingly, many pilots often neglect to check them before departing.

As air traffic controllers, we are required to act as an information-relay service as workload permits.  However, it is the responsibility of the pilot-in-command to be fully aware of the potential hazards pertaining to any mission he or she undertakes.

NOTAMs may provide information on:
potential hazards such as air-shows and rocket launches
works-in-progress
out-of-service navigational aids
military exercises and airspace restrictions
any issue which may affect the safe operation of aircraft
Usually, such information tends to be disseminated in a rather uninteresting format.  An example of a NOTAM is indicated below.  Does this look like riveting reading to you?

A1234/06 NOTAMR A1212/06
Q)EGTT/QMXLC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/5129N00028W005
A)EGLL
B)0609050500
C)0704300500
E)DUE WIP TWY B SOUTH CLSD BTN 'F' AND 'R'. TWY 'R' CLSD BTN 'A' AND 'B' AND DIVERTED VIA NEW GREEN CL AND BLUE EDGE LGT. ADZ CTN

A.E. Houseman once said "Three minutes thought would suffice to find this out; but thought is irksome and three minutes is a long time."

This, in a nutshell, is why pilots don't always take the three minutes required to read through critically important NOTAMs - it simply isn't fun to do.  On the other hand, neither is putting oneself, the aircraft, and one's passengers in a life-threatening situation.

Before one can be a great pilot, one must learn to be a great leader.  A leader must go the extra mile to ensure that those he or she is leading are able to get safely where they want to go.

Are you a leader?  If not, aviation may not be the career for you.