NOTAM Reader & Decoder

How to use it

1. Get the NOTAMs for your area and date from an official source, such as your national aeronautical information service, the FAA's NOTAM Search, or a flight-planning app.
2. Copy the full text of each notice, including the header line (for example A1234/26 NOTAMN) and the Q) line if there is one.
3. Paste it in. You can paste several at once: separate them with a blank line, or paste them one after another and the reader will split them at each NOTAM number.

For each notice, the reader shows:

• the NOTAM number and whether it is new, replaces an earlier notice or cancels one;
• the Q-line split into its parts: region, subject and status in plain words, traffic, purpose, scope, height limits, and centre and radius;
• each lettered item from A) to G), labelled;
• the E) text with about 140 common contractions expanded, such as WI (within), SFC (surface), UFN (until further notice) and CLSD (closed).

Decoding DINS and FAA NOTAMs

This works as a NOTAM decoder for any notice written in the standard ICAO format, including the two US sources pilots search most:

• DINS is the Defense Internet NOTAM Service, a US Department of Defense system hosted with the FAA. You search it by location and it returns domestic, international and military NOTAMs, as well as FDC notices, in the same raw format this reader decodes. Copy the text of a notice from DINS and paste it in.
• FAA NOTAM Search is the FAA's public search for US notices. Copy a notice from NOTAM Search and paste it in the same way.

Outside the US, copy the notice from your national aeronautical information service. The format is the same, so the decoder reads it the same way.

How to read a DINS NOTAM

Most DINS and FAA notices follow the layout below, and the reader splits each one into these parts:

• The header (for example A1234/26 NOTAMN) gives the number and whether the notice is new, a replacement or a cancellation.
• The Q) line codes the region, subject, status, scope, height limits and a centre point with radius.
• Items A) to G) give the location, the start and end times in UTC, the schedule, the plain-text description and the lower and upper height limits.

US FDC notices, which include temporary flight restrictions, often have no Q) line. The reader still decodes their text and tells you when the Q) line is missing.

Worked example: a restricted-area NOTAM

This is the reader's built-in "Temporary flight restriction (FDC)" sample. It is an illustrative notice with a placeholder location (ZZZ), not a real one. Raw text, as you would copy it from DINS or the FAA's NOTAM Search:

!FDC 4/1234 ZZZ SPECIAL SECURITY AREA
Q) ZZZ/QRRCA/IV/NBO/E/000/060/4000N07400W020
A) ZZZ
B) 2401010000
C) 2412312359 EST
E) TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS ARE IN EFFECT WI 3NM OF 4000N07400W SFC TO 6000FT AGL DUE TO VIP MOVEMENT. PURSUANT TO 14 CFR SECTION 99.7 ALL AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS ARE PROHIBITED WI THIS AREA.

The reader turns it into this:

Part	Raw	Decoded
Notice	!FDC 4/1234	A new FDC notice, number 4/1234
Q) subject and status	QRRCA	Restricted area (RR), activated (CA)
Q) traffic and scope	IV / NBO / E	IFR and VFR traffic, en route
Q) height limits	000 / 060	Surface up to 6,000 ft (limits are in hundreds of feet)
Q) centre point	4000N07400W	40°00′N, 074°00′W
B) starts	2401010000	1 January 2024, 00:00 (YYMMDDhhmm)
C) ends	2412312359	31 December 2024, 23:59
E) description	WI 3NM … SFC TO 6000FT AGL	Within (WI) 3 NM of the centre point, from the surface (SFC) to 6,000 ft above ground level (AGL)

What it means for a drone pilot: between those dates, flying anything inside the area is prohibited, however calm the weather. The E) text says all aircraft operations are prohibited under 14 CFR 99.7, and the height limits show that the ban reaches from the ground up, so a drone at 100 ft is inside it. Check the area and times, and ask the authority named in your national rules before you fly nearby.

What it doesn't do

• It doesn't fetch NOTAMs. There is no free public service for live NOTAMs worldwide, so the reader decodes text you have already retrieved. You still need the official source to know which notices exist.
• It doesn't convert times. Items B) and C) stay in UTC. Convert them to local time yourself, allowing for summer time.
• It doesn't decide whether a notice affects you. It doesn't know where you're flying or how high. You still need to compare the area, times and height limits with your flight.

Our guide on how to read a NOTAM works through a full example, including the AMSL height trap that catches many drone pilots.

When the reader shows a warning

• "Could not find a NOTAM number": the header line wasn't included, or the notice uses an unusual format. Copy the whole notice again.
• "No Q) line found": many US domestic notices, including many TFRs (issued as FDC NOTAMs), are written in plain language without a Q-line. The E) text and contractions are still decoded.
• "Q-code subject/status letters were not recognized": the code isn't in the reader's table. Read the E) text, which describes the notice in words.

A quick routine before each flight

1. Retrieve NOTAMs for your flight area, not just the nearest airport, for the date and time you plan to fly.
2. Paste them here and skim the decoded subjects. Most concern runways, lights or navigation aids and don't affect a drone flight away from an aerodrome.
3. For any notice about restricted areas, danger areas, drone or model activity, or temporary flight restrictions, check the area, the UTC times and the lower height limit against your flight.
4. Check your national drone map as well. Permanent drone restrictions are often published there, not as NOTAMs; see Airspace & no-fly zones.
5. Check again on the day. Notices are often issued at short notice.