Definition
Adjacent describes something that lies next to, near, or alongside a referenced location, area, or feature. In aviation publications and NOTAMs, ADJ is used to indicate that a condition, hazard, facility, or activity is located immediately beside the item being described, without necessarily touching or overlapping it.
Plain English
Right next to something. If a NOTAM says a crane is adjacent to runway 27, the crane is beside the runway, not on it.
Context Anchor
Seen in NOTAM contractions, airport notices, and airport descriptions when something is being located in relation to a runway, taxiway, building, or work area.
Derivation
From the Latin adjacere, meaning 'to lie near.' The original sense — lying next to — is exactly how it is used on charts and in NOTAMs today.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots use ADJ to understand where a hazard, closure, vehicle, or work area is located. Next to a runway is different from on the runway, but it can still affect taxi, takeoff, landing, or spacing decisions.
Intuition Check
Do not read adjacent as “the same place.” Adjacent means next to or very near the named place, not automatically on it or inside it.
Example Sentence 1
The NOTAM warned of construction equipment adjacent to taxiway B.
Example Sentence 2
Check for wildlife ADJ to the threshold before takeoff.