Definition
An Alert Notice (ALNOT) is a request issued by an Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) or a Flight Service Station (FSS) for an extensive communication search for an overdue, unreported, or missing aircraft.
Plain English
An ALNOT is the official call that goes out when an aircraft hasn't checked in or arrived when expected. It triggers controllers and flight service stations to start contacting facilities along the aircraft's route to try to locate it before launching a full search and rescue.
Context Anchor
You may see ALNOT in FAA guidance, flight service procedures, or discussions about overdue aircraft and search-and-rescue coordination.
Derivation
Formed from 'Alert' (a warning to be ready for action, from the Italian 'all'erta', meaning 'on the watch') and 'Notice' (a formal notification). Together it signals a formal warning that something has gone wrong and a coordinated response is starting.
Why Pilots Care
An ALNOT starts formal search and rescue efforts that can involve multiple agencies and affect the safety status of the aircraft and its occupants.
Intuition Check
An ALNOT is not just any alert or warning. In FAA use, it is a formal notice connected to an overdue or missing aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
When the aircraft was 30 minutes overdue and could not be reached on radio, the controller issued an ALNOT to begin a communications search.
Example Sentence 2
Receiving the ALNOT, controllers began checking radar returns and coordinating with rescue teams to locate the missing plane.