November 19, 2002 FAA Designates Internet As Official Source

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By Brenda Carol, Newswriter

Well, no one ever accused the FAA of rushing into things. The FAA has accepted the Internet as a valid source of information for pilots to obtain weather and NOTAMs, but only from qualified Web sites. Vendors may become a Qualified Internet Communication Provider (QICP) by following the steps outlined in the FAA’s Internet Communication Advisory Circular. The new FAA National Airspace System (NAS) Aeronautical Information Management Enterprise System (NAIMES) Web site is available to the entire aviation community and can be used as a starting point to obtain information from qualified vendors. The agency will provide a public listing of all QICPs on a designated Web page. Users must register for a user ID and password. Information available on this site includes U.S., Department of Defense and international NOTAMs and the ability to conduct a NOTAM search on a radius or flight path; ATCSCC weather links to the Collaborative Convective Forecast Product (CCFP), PIREPS, METARs, TAFs and NOAA Composite Radar Summary; and other aeronautical information, including Atlantic/Pacific Tracks, RVSM information, and ATC System Command Center real-time NAS information. This Web site can be used by individuals, airlines or groups. Registration will not be required after January 2003.

NOTE: You can read the FAA's Internet Communication Advisory Circular in Adobe's Portable Document Format, free readers for which are available at Adobe's Web site.