"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:gpXuj.42015$9j6.32075@attbi_s22...

02/062 (A0038/08) - AIRSPACE CARF NR. 90 ON EVELYN STATIONARY RESERVATION
WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY 3145N 17012W 2824N 16642W 2352N 16317W 1909N
16129W 1241N 16129W 1239N 16532W 1842N 17057W 2031N 17230W 2703N
17206W SFC-UNL. 21 FEB 02:30 2008 UNTIL 21 FEB 05:00 2008. CREATED: 18
FEB 12:51 2008

Ah, communication. Who *writes* these things? I can't even tell you
what state(s) this thing is talking about, without donning my pilots
decoder ring.


You shouldn't have to study it very long to realize the area described is in
the Pacific Ocean and the only US state in the general vicinity is Hawaii.



I still remember flying in the desert Southwest, far from home, and having
a briefer read a forest fire NOTAM to me in this sort of language, over
the radio. No reference to landmarks. No reference to cities. Just
LAT/LON. Useless.


It's not useless if you carry charts.



Almost as bad are the ones that say "13 miles from the Blather VOR, on the
178 radial" -- leaving you to figure out where in hell the Blather VOR
is... Good luck finding it on your sectional chart, in flight, in the
dark.


Why would you have to find Blather VOR at all? If you know where you are
and you can't find Blather VOR anyehere near your position or route you know
the NOTAM doesn't affect you.



Is there some reason these things can't use commonly known landmarks
(cities, national parks, rivers, etc.) to communicate their message?


That would make locating them more difficult.