NOTAM plotting software nobbled by new web site
 

If you use 3rd party software programmes to graphically plot NOTAMs this will be of interest to you.

Following the changes to the AIS website at the end of May, a number of programmes initially downloaded out of date NOTAM PIBs and subsequently were unable to download any information at all. It is conceivable that some ISP servers may still be caching the redundant pages (Tiscali was when I last checked) so there is a risk that you may be inadvertantly using defunct information.

As far as I know, this affects NOTAMcheck, NOTAMpro, SPINE and the NOTAM plots at ukga and fly.dsc, all because the complete EGTT NOTAM list can no longer be accessed directly :ugh:

There may be other programmes similarly affected and so far I have only found NOTAMplot to still be working correctly. This derives the data from AVbrief which I believe has some sort of data licence arrangement with AIS.

SPINE, used mainly by glider pilots, automatically date checks the bulletin and warns that it has expired, but NOTAMcheck does not. I do not know if NOTAMpro date checks as I don't have that software.

As for solving the problem, I have been told (3rd hand) that AIS is supposed to be addressing this issue 'sometime this month'. However, I have also been told by a contact at AIS that there was a further problem as they were unable to list more than 50 airfields in one bulletin.

Whatever the facts of the case, this is a 'heads up' to make sure that these programmes are really displaying the data we think they are displaying.

Here we go again.

I have been forcibly reminded recently

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=329264

that the AIS notam service is the only reliable, stay-out-of-jail way to meet my responsibility for pre-flight planning.

Once bitten, etc etc

regards
HnH

I think that's being a little unfair to NotamPlot, HnH. You yourself said that the NOTAM was there, it just wasn't on the tab that you expected.

Bookworm hi,
You are right, no slight was intended on Notamplot, my problems in the previous thread were all self-induced.

I'm just overly sensitive on this issue right now and advocating considerable caution!

regards
HnH