// Aeronautical information
NOTAMs and briefing
How NOTAMs reach and leave Prestwick tower: proposals by AFTN to the UK NOTAM Office at Swanwick, pre-flight bulletins, and briefing via the handling agent.
What it is
- A NOTAM (notice to airmen) announces a change that matters to pilots and isn’t in the AIP yet, such as a navaid out of service, runway works or a crane (UK AIP GEN 3.1).
How controllers use it
- The aerodrome sends a NOTAM proposal over the aeronautical fixed network (AFTN) to the UK NOTAM Office at NATS Swanwick (address EUECYIYP), which adds the Q-line, issues it and distributes it; it then appears in pre-flight information bulletins (GEN 3.1).
- Example: if the ILS is taken out of service for maintenance, a NOTAM is issued so crews see it at briefing, and the tower passes it by RTF and on the ATIS.
- The UK NOTAM Office transmits more than 5,500 NOTAMs a month (NATS guidance).
At Prestwick
- AIS and met briefing at Prestwick are available via the handling agent; met briefing is by self-briefing or telephone (AIP AD 2.3/2.11).
- NOTAMs have long been part of Prestwick’s story: NOTAM 457/1952 recorded HF radio moving from Prestwick to Birdlip (atchistory).
Typical UK practice: The terminal the tower uses for NOTAMs today is not public; a briefing PC or AFTN terminal is typical.
// Through the eras
| Era | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1930s–40s | Not known | Not documented for Prestwick. |
| 1950s–60s | Typical UK practice | NOTAMs and met by teleprinter are typical of the period. |
| 1980s–90s | Typical UK practice | Teleprinter or early AFTN terminals are typical. |
| Modern | At Prestwick (sourced) | Proposals by AFTN to the UK NOF; briefing via the handling agent (AIP). |