flight plan

noun

: a usually written statement (as by a pilot) of the details of an intended flight (as of an airplane or spacecraft) usually filed with an authority

Examples of flight plan in a Sentence

The pilot filed a flight plan before taking off.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Kevin Carter | Getty Images Just hours after Spirit Airlines collapsed, its rivals unveiled their new flight plans. Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 4 May 2026 The system then creates a flight plan and manages navigation during the mission. Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 29 Apr. 2026 The details of the Artemis III flight plan remain under review, with key questions about the orbit’s altitude and the configuration of the Space Launch System rocket still unanswered. Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 28 Apr. 2026 The French detachment said the Russian planes didn’t have switched-on transponders, file flight plans or enter into radio contact. ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flight plan

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flight plan was circa 1936

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Cite this Entry

“Flight plan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flight%20plan. Accessed 9 May. 2026.

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