Well, Ive seen it all! This post makes 60 on the subject of new NOTAM procedures. I only hope to God someone at NATS takes note of what THE CUSTOMERS are saying. Blue Robin made the point on the 23rd - Any PILOTS involved in this bag of of bones?
Also Rotor on the On Track website. Keef, you are too kind - It might be a good idea but hardly well thought out!
Whoever said it was almost certainly a result of having to cut costs, hit the nail on the head. I bet some Herbert at West Drayton or Heathrow or wherever, is really looking forward to his promotion on having saved NATS a couple of thousand quid.
I am not going to plow the same furrow - you've all made the point very eloquently, Not enough Beta testing, no parallel issue for a few weeks to get it right. I personally found the long reply from NATS mentioned here, and reproduced by one of the On Track guys extremely cavalier and insulting to our intelligence. It really was a case of "This is what you are getting - all the info is there if you look for it and filter out what you don't need. Take it or leave it."
So what do we do about it. Bravo AC-DC! Whack in MORs if you really think it's dangerous. Write those letters and e-mails.
Don't let it be yet another case of "apathy rules" . Believe me if you shout loud enough - they'll hear. Get on the On Track website, perhaps a little bit out of their remit, but I understand they do have the collective ears of some of the CAA bods in General Aviation.
Having got all that off my chest, I'm going to have a beer! Mutter, Mutter, Mutter.