How to read NOTAMs: a tutorial for student pilots

What is a NOTAM and why does it matter for flight preparation?

A NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions, formerly Notice to Airmen) is a time-critical notice alerting pilots to hazards or changes — such as a closed taxiway or runway — at an airport or along a route. To read a NOTAM, break the line into five parts. First, the accountability and location codes tell you which airport the notice applies to. Second, the NOTAM number identifies the individual notice. Third, the keyword names the subject: TWY A means Taxiway A, RWY 16R/34L means a runway. Fourth, the condition describes what changed, using contractions such as CLSD (closed), BTN (between), or U/S (unserviceable). Fifth, the date-time group gives the effective period, written year-month-day-hour-minute in UTC. Student pilots learn fastest by decoding each field in that order, then confirming the mental picture against the airport diagram before every training flight.

NOTAMs feel intimidating because they are written in dense, abbreviated telegraph-style text. But the format is rigid, and rigid formats can be learned. Once you can name each field, an unfamiliar NOTAM stops being a wall of capital letters and becomes a short checklist you run in your head during flight preparation.

What does each part of a NOTAM line mean?

Here is a realistic taxiway-closure NOTAM for Van Nuys Airport (KVNY), the kind of general-aviation field where many student pilots actually train:

!VNY 07/032 VNY TWY A BTN TWY D AND TWY H CLSD 2607150700-2607192359

Decoded field by field:

• !VNY — the accountability location: the facility responsible for the NOTAM.
• 07/032 — the NOTAM number: the 32nd NOTAM issued in July for this location.
• VNY — the affected airport: Van Nuys, California.
• TWY A — the subject keyword: Taxiway A.
• BTN TWY D AND TWY H — the location detail: only the segment between Taxiway D and Taxiway H is affected, not the whole taxiway.
• CLSD — the condition: closed.
• 2607150700-2607192359 — the effective period: from 15 July 2026 at 07:00 UTC until 19 July 2026 at 23:59 UTC.

Read the same NOTAM in TaxiwayClosed AI and the AI agent places a cross (X) on Taxiway A between D and H on the Van Nuys surface diagram — the text and the picture finally match. You can see more closure examples like this on the taxiway closure NOTAM map page.

How do you read a NOTAM package before a training flight?

Treat NOTAM review as a fixed step in your flight preparation checklist, in the same slot every time — after weather, before performance. A simple four-step routine works for most training flights:

What are the most common student pilot NOTAM mistakes?

• Reading only runway NOTAMs. Taxiway and apron closures change your taxi plan and are a classic setup for confusion at an unfamiliar field.
• Missing the time window. A closure that is active 0700–1500 daily may be open exactly when you arrive — or closed exactly when you return.
• Confusing local time with UTC. NOTAM date-time groups are in UTC; convert before you decide a notice does not apply.
• Skipping the location detail. "TWY A BTN TWY D AND TWY H" closes one segment, not all of Taxiway A. Over-reading is as risky as under-reading.
• Decoding without the diagram. Text you cannot place on the airport surface is text you have not really read.
• Not asking. If a contraction or wording is unclear, ask your CFI or the briefer — that is what training is for.

Always verify with official sources and your CFI

TaxiwayClosed AI is an awareness and training aid — it is not an official briefing and is never a substitute for one. Before any real flight, pull the current package from official sources such as FAA NOTAM Search, review procedures in the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual, use your approved EFB briefing, and talk through anything unclear with your CFI. Cross-checking the app against official sources is itself good practice: every difference you notice is a lesson in how NOTAMs are published, amended, and cancelled.