Definition
A category of Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) issued for navigation aids, public-use airports listed in the Chart Supplement, and other facilities or services that affect the National Airspace System beyond the local area. D NOTAMs are distributed broadly through the U.S. NOTAM System and remain in effect until cancelled or replaced.
Plain English
A type of NOTAM that is shared widely — not just locally — because the information matters to pilots flying into the area from elsewhere. It covers things like outages of navigation equipment, runway closures, or service changes at public airports.
Context Anchor
Pilots encounter D — NOTAMs during preflight planning, especially when checking airport conditions before departure or arrival.
Derivation
The 'D' stands for Distant, meaning the notice is distributed beyond the local flight service area so pilots flying in from other regions can receive it.
Why Pilots Care
Missing a D-NOTAM can mean arriving at a closed runway or an inoperative navigation aid without warning.
Intuition Check
The D does not mean danger. It means the notice is distributed more widely than just the local airport area.
Example Sentence 1
During preflight, she reviewed the D NOTAMs for her destination and noticed the ILS on Runway 27 was out of service.
Example Sentence 2
Before departure the instructor pulled up all active D-NOTAMs for the practice area.