Originally Posted by
ATC Watcher
Indeed . But ATC has always been reactive to accidents /incidents. We always have to wait things make the headlines to have things changed. We all know since at least 30 years that we have to modernise the NOTAM system and change things into plain language instead of abbrevaitions and codes made during WW2 when the first NOTAMs had to be sent by Morse code and later by teletypes. In fact it is partially our own collectve fault that we are still acceping this today as a fact of life.
The US Congress might have good initatives, but the FAA cannot do this alone, ICAO would need to be invoved , and the old lady is (very) slow..
Actually, I am not against the abbreviations at all, on the contrary. It makes it much easier to "fast-read", than when ordinary (semi- / own-invention-) English is being used.
What we want to get rid of, are all those CYA NOTAMs. So, some system in place to have a height (and maybe also altitude) relevance, as well as selection (for example) based on the inverted wedding cakes & airspaces, would solve large parts of the current critics.
Not to say, I sincerely hope, the NOTAM system is not "modernized" to reflect a digital world. A digital world, that nicely works, when reliable connections are available, but fails miserable, once that assumption goes below 99%.