4 ms·
The abbreviations way pre-date SMS - they were standardised back in the teletype days, 1940s-1950s, when printing speed was 30-100cps! Now NOTAMs (mostly) compl
by drpixie 4y ago
The abbreviations way pre-date SMS - they were standardised back in the teletype days, 1940s-1950s, when printing speed was 30-100cps! Now NOTAMs (mostly) comply with global standards so, like VHF AM aviation radio, substantial changes are impractical.
There is significant debate concerning the number (too many) and size (too long) of NOTAMs, but I can assure you that when you get an unexpected rerouting on a dark, bumpy, busy night, you do not want to be reading pages on plain-text prose! All experienced pilots are comfortable with the cryptic NOTAMs, and are used to scanning the abbreviations for important items :)