No NOTAMs - Today's outage and drone pilots
As a drone pilot certified for advanced operations in Canada, I wanted to share my thoughts on the recent NOTAM system outages (possibly two separate ones in the US and Canada on the same day) that caused thousands of flight delays across North America.
Most people don't realize that drone pilots, just like manned aircraft pilots, rely on the NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) system to check for any potential hazards or restrictions in their desired area of flight operations prior to takeoff. According to the Canadian Aviation Regulations, it is illegal for drone pilots to fly without first checking for temporary airspace restrictions and that means checking NOTAMs.
The NOTAM system is a way for airspace authorities to communicate important information to pilots so that aircraft are impacted by temporary or out of the ordinary situations such as ballistic missle launches, forest fires, volcanic ash, icy runways, etc. They can be varied, random, critical or routine and can be completely relevant or irrelevant to someone's specific flight, this is why they must be checked. For example, in Kingston in October 2022, airspace was closed in the vicinity of Queen's University so that police could control unsanctioned homecoming parties. I personally had to cancel a planned flight during that time after seeing the related NOTAM. It is essential for both manned and unmanned aircraft pilots to have access to this information in order to make safe and legal flights.
So, I was concerned to hear that the NOTAM system went down for a few hours today. Manned aircraft pilots were grounded by their respective authorities, such as air traffic control, during this outage but I'm not sure if drone pilots were aware of the issue at all unless they happened to be paying attention to the news during the time of the outage around noon eastern today.
This outage raises some important questions about the current system. Are there changes that need to be made to ensure that all types of pilots that rely on this system are notified in the event of an outage? Should there be an amber alert type system that would push an alert to drone pilots? These are questions that need to be considered in order to improve safety and compliance for all pilots.
In conclusion, the NOTAM system outage today serves as a reminder of the important role that NOTAMs play in our flights and the need for us as drone pilots to be aware of potential hazards and restrictions in order to fly safely and legally. I hope the authorities take steps to better notify drone pilots during such outages in future.
If you want to know more about NOTAMs and get certified to fly drones in Canada or the US, your best option is Professional Drone Training courses from Coastal Drone Co. and in one on one practical lessons from us here at Skybug Drone Services where we show you step by step how do to basic or advanced mission planning that includes checking NOTAMs and also how to request having a NOTAM issued for your operations if needed.