How to look up abbreviations while in flight

NoHeat

NoHeat

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Whenever I’m flummoxed by an abbreviation in a notam, if I’m on the ground, I can just google it. But how can I look it up while in flight? (I’m viewing using Foreflight, which translates pireps and TAFs into plain english, but I haven’t found a way to translate notams.)
 
NoHeat said:
Whenever I’m flummoxed by an abbreviation in a notam, if I’m on the ground, I can just google it. But how can I look it up while in flight? (I’m viewing using Foreflight, which translates pireps and TAFs into plain english, but I haven’t found a way to translate notams.)
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Memorize them all you lazy so and so. :D
 
Have you tried to use your smartphone. They work a lot higher than you think.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
File an asrs “safety was compromised b/c of all the obscure abbreviations in notams, recommend plain language “
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Maybe if a few thousand of us start doing that regularly, the FAA will get around to fixing the NOTAM system

Nah, who am I kidding....
 
iamtheari said:
Call FSS on the radio and ask. They're lonesome and will be happy to help.
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FSS? That's still a thing?

For yuks, here is the 12 page dictionary of FAA NOTAM contractions.
https://www.notams.faa.gov/downloads/contractions.pdf

Given that this is 2022, and we're not limited to 80 columns on a punch card, and the fact that the user has more than 64k of memory, abbreviations are not necessary for NOTAMS, METARs, or anything else.
 
Last edited:
In ForeFlight > Documents > FAA > Handbooks > FAA Contractions (or just search for CONTRACTIONS).

After opening the doc, click the magnifying glass, Contents, Chapter 2, Section 1 Decode (2-1-1).

Maybe then click the bookmark icon at the top to create a bookmark to jump to more easily.
 
WDD said:
FSS? That's still a thing?

For yuks, here is the 12 page dictionary of FAA NOTAM contractions.
https://www.notams.faa.gov/downloads/contractions.pdf

Given that this is 2022, and we're not limited to 80 columns on a punch card, and the fact that the user has more than 64k of memory, abbreviations are not necessary for NOTAMS, METARs, or anything else.
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Download that and then upload it to your foreflight documents.
 
I gotcha fam, use common sense and always request a straight in approach, no cap, FR FR.
 
A non-pilot friend was looking at a NOTAM with me - "Is this nonsense from the 1970s?" says he. I wasn't sure, but my guess is farther back than that. NOTAMs are the FAA's way of covering their a** - "See, we DID tell you all about it!" Their purpose is to inform as well, sure, but if they were serious about doing it well then the format would have changed decades ago.
 
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