OTHER PUBLICATIONS

There are several additional publications of interest to the pilot. These are:

  • Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD)
  • Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM)
  • Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs)

All three of these publications are very important to the general knowledge of the pilot and to safe flight operations. The AIM and A/FD should be a part of every pilot’s library.

Airport/Facility Directory

The A/FD is published every eight weeks by the National Ocean Service (NOS), a division of NOAA. It is published for seven regions of the US.

1. Northwest
2. Southwest
3. North Central
4. South Central
5. East Central
6. Northeast
7. Southeast

The A/FD is a very important part of your flight planning.

Most airports which sell aeronautical charts and supplies will have the A/FD for their region. You may order any of the directories from National Chart Services (such as Jeppesen Sanderson, Inc.) or order directly from:

NOAA, N/CG33, Distribution Branch
Riverdale, MD 20737
Telephone (301) 436-6933

The directory covers the following information:

  • Abbreviations used in the directory
  • Legend for the A/FD information
  • Airport and Facility Information (Airports, VOR’s, NDB,s etc.)
  • Heliports and Seaplane Bases
  • Special Notices on airports, temporary restricted/special use airspace)
  • FAA and Weather Service Telephone Numbers
  • Air Traffic Control Center information
  • Flight Service Station (FSS) communication frequencies.
  • Flight Safety District Offices (FSDOs) Addresses and telephone numbers
  • ·Preferred IFR routes
  • VOR Receiver Checkpoints
  • Parachute jumping areas
  • Aeronautical Chart Bulletins (changes to charts since last publication)
  • Enroute Flight Advisory Service (EFAS)
  • Directory Legend

Aeronautical Information Manual

This publication contains extensive information for pilots. It is continually updated by the FAA and a complete re-write is published frequently. An individual update subscription service is available for those persons who need to be informed of the updates on a timely basis. The AIM covers the following subjects (Based on the 1996 edition).

Chapter 1 Navigation Aids

Section 1 Air Navigation Radio Aids
Section 2 Radar Services and Procedures

Chapter 2 Aeronautical Lighting and Other Airport Visual Aids

Section 1 Airport Lighting Aids
Section 2 Air Navigation and Obstruction Lighting
Section 3 Airport Marking Aids and Signs

Chapter 3 Airspace

Section 1 Airport Lighting Aids
Section 2 Controlled Airspace
Section 3 Class G Airspace
Section 4 Special Use Airspace

Chapter 4 Air Traffic Control

Section 1 Airport Lighting Aids
Section 1 Services Available to Pilots
Section 2 Radio Communication and Phraseology
Section 3 Airport Operations
Section 4 ATC Clearances and Separations

Chapter 5 Air Traffic Procedures

Section 1 Preflight
Section 2 Departure Procedures
Section 3 En Route Procedures
Section 4 Arrival Procedures
Section 5 Pilot/Controller Roles and Responsibilities
Section 6 National Security and Interception Procedures

Chapter 6 Emergency Procedures

Section 1 General
Section 2 Emergency Services Available to Pilots
Section 3 Distress and Urgency Procedures
Section 4 Two-Way Radio Communication Failure

Chapter 7 Safety of Flight

Section 1 Meteorology
Section 2 Altimeter Setting Procedures
Section 3 Wake Turbulence
Section 4 Bird Hazards and Flight Over National Refuges, Parks, Forests

Chapter 8 Medical Facts for Pilots

Section 1 Fitness for Flight

Chapter 9 Aeronautical Charts

Section 1 Types of Charts Available

Pilot/Controller Glossary

Airport Advisory Circulars

Non-regulatory information type documents are available to the aviation community called Advisory Circulars. A listing of these circulars may be obtained from:

U. S. Department of Transportation
General Services Section,
M-443.2
Washington, D. C. 20590

The circular numbers and ordering information is contained in a document called the “Advisory Circular Checklist AC.00-2

A major index of circular subjects is shown on the next page. The subjects are coded by General Subject Number and then by Specific Subject.

The General Subject Number of greatest interest to the Private Pilot are:

Notices to Airmen (NOTAM)

Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) contain time-critical information that is either of a temporary nature, or has not yet been reflected on the latest charts and publications. They cover airport and runway closures, navigational facility outages or frequency changes, etc.

There are 3 types of NOTAMS of interest:

  1. Locally Distributed NOTAMS(L)
  2. NOTAMS Distributed to Distant Location - NOTAM(D)
  3. Federal Distribution Center Notices (FDC NOTAMS)

A bi-weekly Notices to Airmen Publication called NTAP is published. Once the information has been published, it will not be provided in your pre-flight briefing by the FAA unless you request such information.

The publication contains two sections:

1. NOTAMs(D) that are expected to remain in effect for a long time and FDC NOTAMs which are expected to stay in effect for more than 7 days. Occasionally a NOTAM(L) will be included if it is deemed important to flight safety.
2. Special notices that are too long for normal publication or which cover large geographical areas.

These are NOTAMS that relate principally to facilities and airports within the jurisdiction of the issuing FSS station. It covers information handy to know, such as runway closings, construction areas at airports, and information that is not critical to safety or navigation.

It is distributed to Operators and Control Towers within the FSS jurisdiction. These NOTAMS are not routinely covered in pre-flight briefings unless requested by the pilot.

NOTAM (D)

These are notices about airports and facilities that are important to navigation and operational safety. They cover all navigational aids in the National Airspace System, and all airports listed in the A/FD. They are distributed broadly, and beyond the jurisdiction of the issuing FSS.

They are significant to your flight planning, and should be included in your pre-flight briefing. You should always insure that you have been briefed on the NOTAMS along you route of flight.

FDC NOTAMS

These are NOTAMs issued by the Federal Distribution Center and are regulatory in nature. They cover such things as changes to aeronautical charts, new hazards to flight, new restrictions to flight, changes in instrument approach facilities and procedures, etc.

Flight Service Stations are required to keep on file all FDC NOTAMS within 400 miles of their location.