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As of a few days ago, 1B6 is now CLSD TO TRANSIENT

This is the NOTAM which appears at https://notams.aim.faa.gov/notamSearch/nsapp.html?METHOD=DISPLAYBYICAOS&REPORTTYPE=RAW&FORMATTYPE=DOMESTIC&RETRIEVELOCID=1B6&ACTIONTYPE=NOTAMRETRIEVALBYICAOS#/details

!BDR 07/063 1B6 AD AP CLSD TO TRANSIENT 2207121715-PERM

I think the meaning is relatively clear-- don't land here unless you're based at this runway-- but if a pilot is held to a standard of obeying the NOTAM it would seem there should be an iron-clad definition of TRANSIENT.

Is there a legal definition of TRANSIENT in the NOTAMs?

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    $\begingroup$ I think you've answered your own question. If there is no "official" definition in a an authoritative aviation publication, then its literal definition, as you point out in your question, seems clear and unambiguous. The word "Transient" is shown in the FAA approved NOTAM contractions as "TSNT." notams.faa.gov/downloads/contractions.pdf (even though in the NOTAM in your question the word is totally spelled out.) $\endgroup$
    – user22445
    Jul 21, 2022 at 3:50
  • $\begingroup$ I get where you're coming from, but I feel like that's a very unsatisfactory legal standard. The NOTAM isn't even written in plain English, there are many ways to willfully come to another conclusion than the one I did, and they would be defensible. $\endgroup$
    – Kenn Sebesta
    Jul 21, 2022 at 3:59
  • $\begingroup$ I understand your point. However, I think if you look at other NOTAMs you will find some words that not only are spelled out in total, even though an official contraction is published, but do not have an "official" aviation definition beyond their literal meaning (like "single," "patchy," etc.). I think read in context most of the words in a NOTAM (sometimes having to refer to the contractions list to decipher) are part of the aviation lexicon. – $\endgroup$
    – user22445
    Jul 21, 2022 at 4:38
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    $\begingroup$ On the Air Traffic side, we use "transient" to mean any aircraft which lands to a full stop or departs and exits the local area—distinguishing it from a "pattern work" aircraft. This is likely not the meaning intended by the NOTAM. $\endgroup$
    – randomhead
    Jul 21, 2022 at 13:50
  • $\begingroup$ Not to be flippant, but I’d be more curious about the definition of “closed”. What if you don’t need fuel and plan to park at a friend’s hangar? Because if the airport isn’t private then it’s public, and if it’s open, then it’s open to the public… Something like “transient services not available” is more meaningful. (And typical) $\endgroup$
    – Michael Hall
    Jul 21, 2022 at 15:11

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It seems that transient may be defined by local authorities or state authorities for example the city of Livermore CA defines it here:

“Transient aircraft” means any aircraft which utilizes the airport for occasional temporary purposes, generally no longer than seven days, and which is based at another airport and is not assigned a reserved tie-down or hangar at the airport. (Ord. 2085 § 1(A), 2019; Ord. 2065 § 1(A), 2018; Ord. 1916 § 1(5), 2010; Ord. 1905 § 1, 2010)

While Mansfield Municipal Airports Master Plan has it defined similarly:

Transient Aircraft –refers to an airplane whose home is at an airport other than the airport for which the forecast is being produced. In other words, any aircraft that uses the Airport, but whose home base is at another airport, is a transient aircraft.

I can not find a definition directly for Hopedale Airport but its a small town and they dont seem to have that much digitized. MassDOT also does not have an official definition that I have yet found. Interestingly enough the Order which defines NOTAMS uses CLSD TO TRANSIENT as an example but does not define it anywhere.

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    $\begingroup$ Thanks for the excellent answer. Although the thought of digging up municipal documents in order to fully parse a NOTAM is horrifying! $\endgroup$
    – Kenn Sebesta
    Jul 21, 2022 at 20:13

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