Definition
In NOTAMs and aeronautical publications, DISABLD indicates that a piece of equipment, facility, navigational aid, or aircraft is out of service, inoperative, or otherwise unable to function as intended.
Plain English
It means something is not working or has been put out of use. When you see DISABLD in a NOTAM, treat whatever it refers to as unavailable.
Context Anchor
Seen in Notices to Air Missions, the preflight notices pilots check for changes or problems affecting airports, routes, equipment, and services.
Derivation
From the English word 'disabled' — to be made unable to operate. The contraction DISABLD simply drops vowels to save space in the compact NOTAM format.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must know which surfaces are unusable to avoid unsafe operations or runway incursions.
Intuition Check
Disabled does not refer to a person here. In this FAA notice context, it means the named equipment, facility, or service is not working or not available.
Example Sentence 1
The NOTAM stated that the approach lighting system was DISABLD until further notice.
Example Sentence 2
Before takeoff the pilot checked that no runways were listed as DISABLD.