Plain English Meaning

An airport with no control tower. Instead of a controller telling pilots when to take off, land, or taxi, pilots talk to each other on a shared radio frequency and look out for one another.

Full Definition

An airport that does not have an operating air traffic control tower. Pilots operating to or from a nontowered airport are responsible for their own separation, sequencing, and traffic awareness, typically by self-announcing their position and intentions on a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) and following standard traffic pattern procedures.