This is a copy of my reply to an e-mail I received today. Hopefully the readers of this forum will also find it a useful update.
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A few things you may have missed out on.
Downloadable, printable FIR briefings are now available from
http://www.nats.co.uk/operational/pibs/index.shtml
These are not yet geographically sorted but NotamPro
http://www.notampro.com can use them to provide the geographic plot. The other piece of software, NotamPlot,
http://www.notamplot.flyer.co.uk has not yet been modified to work with these bulletins as the author is changing jobs at the moment. There is also an additional site
http://www.altais.org.uk which has the briefs available with a geographic sort. Please remember that UK AIS is the authoritative source for information required under Article 43 of the ANO
http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2000/20001562.htm#43 for flights originating withing the UK FIR's.
These briefings are suitable for display at an airfield, however they are only intended to provide a backup in the event of non-availability of the main AIS site and as such are only updated twice a day.
Thales IS, the software company responsible for the AIS site software have a team at Heathrow this week. Providing all goes well we should soon see these briefs sorted geographically and also available on demand from the main AIS site.
Once this happens the AIS main site should be used as the prime source as the briefs will be generated on request and so will always contain the latest information. For those without Internet access we should also soon see the briefs available for fax download.
We would like to see all airfields putting the standard FIR brief on their noticeboard. That way pilots will always have a briefing in a familiar format available. This of course does not preclude a specialised briefing to suit locally based pilots from also being displayed.
Discussions on other issues continue. These include making the data available as a database download, improving browser compatibility (particularly for Mac's), simplifying login and improving the usability of the site.
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If your airfield does not currently display the standard FIR brief please bring this to their attention - Many Thanks
Mike Cross
representing AOPA UK on NOTAM issues