C182 PLT WAS QUESTIONED ABOUT VFR FLT; NOTAM CLARITY AND DISTRIBUTION.

Date: 2001-09 · Aircraft: Skylane 182/RG Turbo Skylane/RG · Phase: taxi

Anomalies: other-notam-clarity-and-distribution

Synopsis

C182 PLT WAS QUESTIONED ABOUT VFR FLT; NOTAM CLARITY AND DISTRIBUTION.

Narrative

I MADE A PART 91 VFR FLT FROM JOHN WAYNE ARPT TO BURBANK ARPT AT NIGHT. UPON LNDG AT BUR; I TAXIED BACK FOR DEP; RECEIVED A CLRNC; AND WAS READY FOR A VFR DEP WHEN THE CTLR STARTED QUESTIONING HOW I GOT TO BUR UNDER VFR. HE SEEMED TO THINK VFR WAS NOT ALLOWABLE UNDER THE CURRENT NOTAMS IN EFFECT. I HAD THE LATEST NOTAMS AND HAD CONSULTED WITH SAN DIEGO FSS; RECEIVED A FULL DUAT BRIEFING; AND CONSULTED WITH AN AVIATION ORGANIZATION TO ENSURE MY ROUTE AND PLAN OF FLT WAS LEGAL. SINCE I RECEIVED FLT FOLLOWING THE WHOLE WAY; I KNOW NO ONE ELSE SEEMED CONFUSED ABOUT VFR; AND I SAW OTHER GA VFR TFC ALONG THE FLT. THE PROB AROSE BECAUSE THE NOTAM DISSEMINATION SYSTEM IS POOR. SINCE THE GND STOP ON 9/TUE/01; NUMEROUS NOTAMS HAVE BEEN ISSUED. PLTS MAY ACTUALLY HAVE ACCESS TO THESE VIA AN AVIATION ORGANIZATION DUAT; ETC BEFORE CTLRS DO. ALSO; THE PHRASEOLOGY OF SOME NOTAMS IS POOR; AND IT HAS BEEN UNCLR IF NEW NOTAMS ARE SUPERCEDING OTHER NOTAMS OR NOT. AS FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION; I WOULD RECOMMEND PROVIDING A MORE UNIFORM AND CENTRAL LOCATION FOR NOTAMS ON THE INTERNET THAT IS ACCESSIBLE TO CTLRS ON THE JOB AND TO PLTS AS WELL. FOR MY OWN PART; I SHOULD HAVE CARRIED THE NOTAMS WITH ME IN THE COCKPIT SO I COULD REFERENCE SPECIFIC FDC NOTAM NUMBERS WHEN DISCUSSING THEM WITH THE CTLRS. EVENTUALLY THE CTLRS LET ME LEAVE VFR BY CONSIDERING MY FLT AS A 'REPOSITIONING' FLT UNDER VFR. WHILE THE CTLRS WERE ALWAYS CALM AND PROFESSIONAL; I FELT THIS CONFUSION MAY HAVE LED THEM TO THINK I WAS OPERATING IN VIOLATION OF THE CURRENT RULES IN EFFECT; EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.