Mr John Gentleman
Sir
I am one of the GA pilots adversley affected by the Notam fiasco. I was also the author of the Times letter.
I note that you are quoted as being a PPL who has found the current narrow route briefing "usable". Whilst I agree that some of the more outrageous defects have been removed from the site, I cannot agree with your quoted judgement in this case. In my opinion, the site in it's present form creates a sufficient obstacle in the path of pilots wishing to obtain Notams before flight that many flights are in practice conducted without briefing.
As the owner of a software company, I also believe that there are significant issues about whether an interactive web site can EVER provide the reliability, performance, accuracy and usability that is essential in this application. Nats appear to have bought in to a 'consumer quality' product, but even if they matched the IT investment of say, Avis car rental, I doubt that their IT provider would be willing to financially underwrite the safety of flight exposures created as a result.
The idea behind the interactive web site is entirely laudable. However, the reality is what those who employ programmers sometimes refer to as the 90/10 rule: 10% of the effort yields 90% of the result, but to get the last 10% - well, you can guess. If the project is unsuccessful, well, no problem. But if users actually come on line, then is that last 10% that matters.
The real problem with web sites is success - the more users, the bigger the problems and the more unfamiliar the territory. Solve one set of problems and you just get more users. It's a virtuous circle that burns you alive! Worse, I don't belive the current site has even reached the 90% mark yet, while in a safety critical application like this we need better integrity than most commercial applications.
I fully endorse the initiative being persued by Michael Cross and Russell Howton.
However, I suggest that in order to properly address this issue the following steps are needed:
1) Re-instate the manual A1/A8 bulletins temporarily, but immediately - re-hire the personnel if needed.
2) Suspend development of the web site until it is established that it is actually possible to provide a satisfactory service using this technology. Classify the existing site as 'evaluation only - not for use in flight planning' and refer users to the manual A1/A8.
3) Put every effort into providing the information feed specified by Mike and Russell. I predict that there will be a furious competition amongst programmer/pilots to develop the must usuable interpretive software.
Please make no mistake - lives are being put at risk every day. A computer literate friend, unable to obtain Notam, flew to xxxx only to find the into wind runway closed. Vectored to the servicable runway, he conducted a cross wind landing well into his, and the aircraft's, limitations. If he had crashed, it would have been his fault. But if he had had the Notam, he would have gone somewhere else.
Working together, we are in sight of a useful objective - provision of Notam information that can be used by every pilot without excuse for the first time in UK aviation history. For this, graphical rendition and local filtering are essential. The pilot community is offering this escape route to Nats, and to CAA, 'on a plate'. In return, we must have immediate restoration of the manual A1/A8 bulletins without prevarication, so that no more flights are conducted without briefing when one is available.
Yours faithfully
David Viewing
(Copies of this letter posted to relevant forums)