Name:   MrHodja - Subject:   Notice to Airmen Date:   1/11/2023 3:34:16 PM

Someone else who noticed they changed the name, lol.

In another life, as an Air Force Captain working on the Air Staff, one of my responsibilities was the AF weather system, which included the Air Force Central NOTAM Facility located at Carswell AFB, Texas.  I had occasion to visit the facility once and was amazed at the methodology used to produce the NOTAMs that went out to the Air Force and everyone else.  In a single room was a collection of teletype and fax machines (this was roughly 1977-78) connected to weather and air traffic control facilities literally around the world.  Inside that facility was a dedicated and skilled staff who monitored all incoming messages, decided what was important or not already reported, and used the resultant snippets of germane information to composed NOTAMs which were then transmitted worldwide.  Since most of the comm channels were teletype, the output method was a continuous feed of paper coming out of the teletype machines.  The operators would tear off the printed output, go over to a large table, and scroll through the messages, using a large paper cutter to collect what was needed and feed the rest into a large trash can under the cutter.  My observation from that operation, other than awe at the skill and knowledge of those operators, was that if you took away their paper cutter they probably couldn't do their mission.

I pray that in the past 45 yers they have updated and upgraded their system.  It is now obvious to the rest of the country how important that system is.