Notices to Airmen (notams) have always been important, now especially since they are the FAA's primary means of implementing new temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) and other airspace changes necessary for national security. Fortunately, obtaining notams has never been easier: They're available on AOPA Online, on FAA Web pages, through DUAT services, or from flight service station briefers.
Post-September 11, TFRs have popped up like mushrooms - and just like mushrooms, you have to be careful about them. If in doubt, don't fly until you fully understand a TFR if it's anywhere close to you. Don't even dream of testing the system - violations only give us all a black eye. It was embarrassing to hear about a pilot who picked up fighter escort over Camp David, Maryland, just north of AOPA headquarters, only weeks after the September attacks. The violator was escorted to an airport without major incident.
Telephoning flight service for the latest notam update just before you head for the airport might save a drive to a closed airfield. Back that up at the airport with a last-minute verification on the phone or on the radio before departure. Check again before returning to home base. In Phoenix just hours before the start of the first game in the World Series a notam was issued that closed airports and airspace around the entire area. Checking before a 30-minute luncheon flight to Sedona would have indicated all was fine. How many of us flying in CAVU conditions would have thought to check with flight service after lunch when the notam was issued, closing a Phoenix-area destination airport?
Plan your trips extra carefully. Review calculations. Double-check the weather. Follow all checklists precisely, perhaps a little slower than usual to help you pay attention. Take the free AOPA Air Safety Foundation SkySpotter course on the Web ( www.aopa.org/asf/skyspotter ), then file at least one pilot report en route.
ATC communications are essential to safe and legal flying. When was the last time you had a navcom checked? Is your transponder's altitude encoder accurate?
Yes, as pilot in command you have complete responsibility for the flight, but that doesn't mean you have to go it alone. If you have a question about flying, find someone on the airport and ask questions: a CFI, the FBO, the airport manager, a flight school, the AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer, or an FAA aviation safety counselor. If you are away from home, definitely seek information from locals about landmarks used to avoid everything from noise-sensitive areas to restricted and prohibited areas to nearby TFRs. Never hesitate to get a second opinion to confirm what you have learned. For AOPA members, answers are available from dozens of experienced pilots and flight instructors via AOPA's toll-free pilot assistance hotline at 800/USA-AOPA (800/872-2672).
A wealth of current information about airports is just a click away in AOPA's Airport Directory Online (www.aopa.org/members/airports/) or from AOPA's Airport eDirectory, which can be downloaded to your computer or handheld PDA.
Sometimes a positive response to a problem pays dividends in the long run. One aircraft owner was grounded at a Washington, D.C.-area GA field where VFR flight was restricted in the enhanced Class B airspace. So he took matters into his own hands. His currency and the plane's instrument certification were out of date. A few hours in the cockpit for the pilot and a few hours in the shop for the airplane made both legal for IFR.
This sounds like a lot to think about, but it's really just a common-sense checklist that reminds all of us what it takes to better cope with our redefined world of flying.
By following the rules, and refreshing your knowledge of all of them, you help us immensely in the job we have ahead at AOPA-restoring general aviation in all parts of the country to pre-September 11 conditions. We have had much success to date, but every infraction of the rules by pilots today takes us two steps backwards.
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