What is NOTAM?
A NOTAM (Notice to Airmen, since 2021 'Notice to Air Missions') is a time-critical aeronautical advisory issued by the FAA. TFRs, runway closures, and other temporary conditions are distributed via NOTAMs.
NOTAMs are short text advisories distributed through the FAA's NOTAM system. Each TFR generates a NOTAM. So do runway closures, navigation aid outages, military operations area activation, and many other temporary conditions affecting air operations.
Drone pilots primarily care about NOTAMs that affect them directly: TFRs (especially wildfire and security), airport surface area changes, and certain experimental airspace designations.
NOTAMs are searchable at notams.faa.gov and pidp.cssi.faa.gov. Most LAANC providers and drone-planning tools surface relevant NOTAMs automatically. Altoa includes the FAA TFR feed in airspace checks; full NOTAM search is via the FAA portal.
What this means for pilots
Check NOTAMs (or at minimum the TFR list) before every flight. Wildfire NOTAMs in particular can appear hourly. The system is text-heavy and shorthand-laden; learning to skim a NOTAM is part of being a competent pilot.
FAQ
Do NOTAMs apply to drones?
Yes. NOTAMs apply to all aircraft including small unmanned systems unless explicitly excluded.
How do I read a NOTAM?
The format is shorthand-heavy. The FAA publishes a decode guide. Most drone-relevant NOTAMs are TFRs, which are easier to read in plain English at tfr.faa.gov.
How often do NOTAMs change?
Constantly. The system processes thousands daily across the US. Drone-relevant ones (TFRs in your area) are typically a few per week.
Related terms
FAA regulations change. Verify current rules at faa.gov/uas before relying on this article for flight planning. Altoa is not the FAA.