What are NOTAMs and TFRs?

What exactly are Notices to Airmen?

Notices to Airmen have

Information that might affect the safety of a flight, such as a runway closure, Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR), NAVAID outage, lighting system change, etc., is available from your flight station briefer. ... Checking for Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) is absolutely essential; they are published as NOTAMs." (Gardener, Bob.1985-2007. The Complete Private Pilot, Tenth Edition (The Complete Pilot Series). Newcastle WA: Aviation Supplies and Academics (pp. 4-19 to 4-20)).

I have been doing some reading on the side about flying under visual flight rules (VFR) so I will describe the terminology used in the preceding paragraph in this context. A NAVAID is short for navigation aids used by pilots, including radio aids to navigation. Lighting system change refers to changes or outages in runway lighting. Before taking off, a pilot flying under VFR will get a briefing on weather conditions and NOTAMs (including TFRs) from a flight service officer at their local flight service station. Pilots may also access a preflight weather briefing online.

NOTAMs have information that the Federal Aviation Administration has determined that pilots need to know for their safety, the safety of other aircraft, and the safety of those on the ground. Before any pilot (air tanker, commercial, private) takes off, they must get NOTAMs covering their planned route as well as primary and back-up airports from their local flight service officer.

NOTAMS can be informational or restrictive. Informational or advisory NOTAMs include: runway restrictions, changes in hours of air traffic control towers, navigational aid outage, taxiway closures, workers and equipment on the runways, and animals on or near the runway.

Temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) are examples of regulatory (legal) NOTAMs. Examples of TFRs include travel by the President; gatherings such as the recent G20 in Pittsburgh PA; major sporting events and aerial demonstrations and hazards including fires, toxic gas spills, and sites of aircraft accidents.

For a more detailed discussion on NOTAMs and TFRs -- including a listing of each of all the different types of NOTAMS with a further breakdown of the different categories of TFRs see chapter 6 of the Interagency Airspace Coordination Guide. Individual chapters from this guide as well as the entire guide may be found here.

I have also found Bob Gardner's explanation of NOTAMs in The Complete Pilot to be very easy to understand. In fact, I find myself referring to this book more and more as I continue to write about fixed-wing aircraft. I picked up a copy at my local bookstore, and I am very glad that I did.

For our purposes, I will single out what are sometimes referred to hazard TFRs, and in particular fire TFRs. Stay tuned for an example of what a fire TFR looks like on an aeronautical chart.