David Viewing's post reinforces what I think about "progress" i.e. the internet has merely facilitated the easy distribution of all kinds of junk, from porn to junk notams.
Why? Because it's "free".
The old system would have never worked for pilots who seriously go places. So, did the jails fill up with pilots who, after a 500nm flight from some dodgy foreign country, busted some TRA? I don't think so. Why not?
One answer might be that because the buck has been passed firmly to the pilot obtaining the briefing (on the grounds that everybody has internet access, at all relevant times) and this facilitates the prosecution. Whereas the previous system was so unusable for long trips that any half awake lawyer would have got the pilot off the hook.
The existing system is actually pretty good - for pilots who
- have mobile internet (not hard these days)
- use the narrow route briefing
- accept that a notam other than a
prohibited area notification is not worth much (or anything, like the kite flying notams)
Notams are essential for VFR flight and everybody should have appropriate internet access, and always check them. After all, how does one get weather? Not by the old faxback from the met orifice, surely??? It's all on the internet.
But 99% of notams are still of zero relevance to flight
Here is my favourite: [my bold]
Q) LGGG/QAFXX/IV/NBO/W/000/999/3738N02456E356
FROM: 07/09/19 07:01 TO: PERM
E) NAVIGATIONAL WARNING:
WITH REFERENCE TO THE TURKISH AIP SUP 28/05 WE POINT OUT THE
FOLLOWING:
A.- THE ATHINAI/ISTANBUL FIR BOUNDARY BETWEEN POINTS 404500N0261000E
AND 360500N0300000E HAS BEEN CLEARLY ESTABLISHED BY ICAO REGIONAL
AGREEMENTS AND CONSEQUENTLY IS FOUNDED ON AN AUDOUBTEDLY SOUND LEGAL
BASIS AS NOTED IN OUR A1709/07 LGGGYNYX NOTAM.
MORE SPECIFICALLY THE DELIMITATION OF THIS BOUNDARY WAS COMPLETED
DURING THE SECOND MIDDLE EAST AND THIRD EUROPEAN-MEDITERRANEAN
REGIONAL AIR NAVIGATION MEETINGS (ISTANBUL OCT-NOV 1950 AND PARIS
FEB-MAR 1952) AND SUBSEQUENTLY APPROVED BY THE ICAO COUNCIL ON
DECEMBER 14 1950 AND JUNE 23 1952 RESPECTIVELY.
THE AGREED AND APPROVED ATHINAI/ISTANBUL FIR BOUNDARY IS CLEARLY
DEPICTED ON MAP NO 7 OF THE 1952 REGIONAL AIR NAVIGATION AGREEMENT
AND REPORTED IN THE AIR NAVIGATION PLAN FOR THE EUROPEAN REGION
CHARTS ATS 1A ICAO DOC 7754 AS WELL AS ON ALL THE FOLLOWING ICAO
AERONAUTICAL CHARTS THUS CONSTITUTING AN INTERNATIONAL LEGALLY
ESTABLISHED REGIME CONFIRMED BY A LONG STANDING PRACTICE NOT LEAVING
SPACE FOR MISLEADING OR MISINTERPRETATIONS.
B.- THE NEW COPS STATED IN THE AIP-GREECE PAGES RAC 3-1-27 AND
3-1-28 NAMELY BELGI RIKSO PIROX SOTIV AND BENEM CALCULATED AND
SUBMITTED BY ICAO IN HIS RELEVANT LETTERS TO GREECE AND TURKEY AND
SUBSEQUENTLY ACCEPTED AND PUBLISHED BY THEM AS WELL AS OTHER COPS
PREVIOUSLY PRESENTED NAMELY GOLDO AMANI VEXOL REDRA SITRU AND
BANRO COINCIDE WITH THE ATHINAI/ISTANBUL FIR BOUNDARY ACCORING TO
THE ICAO AERONAUTICAL CHARTS AND THE LONG STANDING PRACTICE AS
MENTIONED ABOVE.
FOR ALL THE AFOREMENTIONED REASONS FULLY CONSISTENT WITH ICAO
CONSIDERATIONS AND NEEDS THE TURKISH AIP SUP 28/05 IS IRRELEVANT IN
ITS ENTIRETY AND NOT PRODUCING ANY INTERNATIONALLY LEGAL EFFECT.
Wonderful stuff. They just don't make them like they used to.
As regards nonresponsive military units, a while ago I flew overhead Brize, around 1730L, and multiple calls elicited no response. Then another plane responded to me saying they could not get them up either, and they must be closed. We then joked (on the air) that if the Russians are going to invade they better do it after 5pm
Now, I don't actually think Brize was closed. They merely shut their VHF desk. Mil comms are on UHF. Their Class D remains Class D H24 (AIUI) but now they will have traffic going overhead at 3600ft.