Why FAA Letters to Airmen Matter

Bruce:

“Letters to Airmen (LTAs) are cousins of NOTAMs. The FAA publishes Letters to Airmen to inform pilots about local ATC procedures, discuss potential conflicts in busy airspace, and to highlight other safety-of-flight issues.

Until recently, you could find LTAs only by searching for NOTAMs associated with specific airports, for example, at the FAA NOTAMs website. Sometimes the information in a particular LTA is included in the Notices section of a Chart Supplement booklet. But LTAs aren’t typically included in a standard preflight briefing.

Fortunately, Letters to Airmen are now readily available in ForeFlight. On the main information page for an airport, select the Procedures tab and scroll down past the airport diagram and other charts. Each letter associated with an airport is distinguished by the heading LTA.

LTA typically address topics such as how a particular TRACON facility handles VFR practice approaches. You may also find letters that highlight VFR arrival and departure procedures at busy airports such as San Carlos, CA (KSQL) and Boeing Field (KBFI) in Seattle. At Redmond, OR (KRDM), an LTA explains a unique procedure for squawking code 1237 in the congested airspace around Redmond and nearby Bend (KBDN), even if you’re not receiving flight following.

Other LTA alert you to potential hazards, such as glider and towplane operations near Elmira, NY (KELM), and recommended VFR arrival procedures and reporting points when flying to John C. Tune (KJWN) airport near busy Nashville, TN (KBNA). Sometimes LTA include links to additional information.

So, the next time you plan a flight, especially to or from an airport in busy airspace, check the LTA. They can help you mitigate risks, and you’ll impress ATC by knowing about and following local procedures—to the letter.”