NOTAM (Notice to Airmen, since 2021 officially Notice to Air Missions) are time-limited notices on operationally relevant changes important for flight safety.
NOTAM contents
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Airfield status | runway closed, lighting unserviceable, restricted tower hours, construction |
| Navaid availability | VOR/NDB out of service, frequency change, maintenance |
| Airspace activations | temporary restricted areas (TRA), special use, military exercises |
| Events | airshow, parachute jumps, hot air balloons, drone activity |
| Obstacles | cranes, balloons, temporary structures |
| Procedure changes | changed SID/STAR, changed radio procedures |
Common AIP and NOTAM abbreviations
ICAO uses a standardised abbreviation list (ICAO Doc 8400). A PPL pilot must know the most common:
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| HJ | "sunrise to sunset" — daylight hours |
| HN | sunset to sunrise — night hours |
| HX | no specific working hours |
| H24 | round the clock |
| OBST | "obstacle" |
| CLSD | closed |
| WIP | work in progress |
| UFN | until further notice |
| PSN | position |
| AGL / AMSL | above ground level / above mean sea level |
| ABM | abeam |
| TWR | tower |
| CTR | Control Zone |
| TMA | Terminal Manoeuvring Area |
| VRP | Visual Reporting Point |
Briefing sources
| Source | Availability | Advantage |
|---|---|---|
| DFS AIS Pre-flight Information Bulletin (PIB) | https://aip.dfs.de | Official Germany source; selectable by airfield and FIR |
| EAD (European AIS Database) | https://www.ead.eurocontrol.int | Pan-European database — important for cross-border |
| Commercial tools | Jeppesen, ForeFlight, SkyDemon, FltPlan.com | Integrated with route planning; always cross-check with official source |
| Self-briefing computer | At aero clubs, flight schools | Offline AIS access |
| pc_met (Deutscher Wetterdienst) | https://www.flugwetter.de | Official German weather briefing tool — self-briefing for VFR weather |
Weather-briefing obligation
A weather briefing is generally required for all flights that lead beyond the immediate vicinity of the airfield (for pure pattern work it is not mandatory but strongly recommended). Sufficient information about current weather reports and forecasts is provided:
- At an AIS office (in person or by phone).
- By self-briefing with pc_met of the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) — the official source for German aviation weather info.
Reading NOTAMs
NOTAMs use a standardised ICAO code (ICAO Doc 8126 AIS Manual). Example format:
A1234/26 NOTAMR A1230/26
Q) EDFE/QFALC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/4953N00834E005
A) EDFE B) 2605231200 C) 2605271800
E) RWY 27 CLSD DUE WIP
- Q-code (QFALC) classifies the NOTAM.
- A) affected airfield (ICAO code).
- B) / C) start / end (UTC).
- E) plain-text description.
PPL students need not decode the Q-code in detail, but must read all relevant NOTAMs for departure, route, destination before every flight.
Icing conditions — flight prohibited without certification
Flight into known or forecast icing conditions is prohibited unless the aircraft is equipped and certified accordingly (anti-icing, pitot heat, etc.).
→ Consequence for PPL trainers (e.g. C172, PA-28): no de-icing equipment from factory → flight in icing conditions prohibited.
Should the aircraft inadvertently enter an icing zone (pilot underestimated conditions or weather changed suddenly), this zone must be left without delay (see Subject 070, lesson "Low Visibility — Icing Zone"):
- Change altitude (often a level with positive temperature).
- Change heading (shortest path out of cloud/precipitation).
- Carb heat ON, pitot heat ON (if equipped).
- Mayday/PAN-PAN per severity.
MEF — Maximum Elevation Figure
The MEF (Maximum Elevation Figure) is an important value on ICAO charts:
Definition: the highest obstacle or terrain elevation within a chart square bounded by 30 minutes of latitude and 30 minutes of longitude, plus a safety margin, rounded up to the next 100 ft.
- On the ICAO VFR chart 1 000 the MEF is shown in each 30'-square in large blue digits (e.g. "32" means 3200 ft).
- It serves the pilot for quick orientation about the required minimum altitude in a region.
Safety altitude calculation
For an individual obstacle, the safety altitude is calculated:
- Obstacle elevation + 500 ft safety margin (generally) or 1000 ft over built-up areas,
- Rounded up to the next 100 ft.
Example: obstacle 2240 ft elevation → 2240 + 500 = 2740 ft → rounded up to next 100 ft = 2800 ft safety altitude.
(Source: ICAO Annex 2 SERA; depending on national interpretation, 1000 ft may apply instead of 500 ft — consult AIP Germany ENR.)
ICAO VFR chart 1 000 — conventions
The ICAO 1
000 chart is the standard VFR chart in Europe. Key conventions:| Element | Representation |
|---|---|
| Forests | green areas |
| Mountains, ridges, elevations | grey shading (hill shading) |
| Rivers and lakes | blue lines/areas |
| Cities and settlements | yellow areas |
| Motorway / clearway completed | red solid double line |
| Motorway / clearway planned or under construction | red dashed double line |
| Railway | black line with cross-strokes |
| Closed airfield | cross (X) in airfield symbol |
| Highest point or highest obstacle within plotted area | elevation in a box |
| Model flight areas | NOT plotted on the ICAO 1 000 chart — separate AIP entry (ENR 5.5) |
| CTR, TMA, restricted/danger areas | coloured lines (blue, magenta, red) with class label |
| VRPs (Visual Reporting Points) | red-and-white arrow symbols |
En-route chart vs ICAO 1
En-route charts (e.g. Jeppesen, Lufthansa System) are designed primarily for IFR operations:
- They contain airways, navaids, MEAs, MORAs, frequencies.
- They do NOT contain information on the upper limit of CTR/TMA — that is in AIP AD or ENR sections.
- VFR pilots use primarily the ICAO 1 000 (or VFR charts like ICAO-WAC), not en-route charts.
Part-NCO obligation
NCO.OP.105 and SERA.2020 mandate the pre-flight action — including study of all NOTAMs and weather briefing.