the system are antiquated and really not cutting edge. bill: as a pilot can you fly if this system is not working properly? you described a few things notam does. it does other things, too, like runway closures, low altitude, construction obstacle. anything a pilot would want to know. can the system operate without this? it can. it is not ideal. a runway closure, for instance, if you are trying to land on a runway that s closed the tower will tell you, the local tower will say you are lined up for the wrong runway. so in my book this was not a huge safety issue, but it is not one that the faa likes to, you know, go on without.