Definition
A published deadline before which navigation, obstacle, or procedure data must be received in order to be evaluated, processed, and incorporated into the next revision of an instrument flight procedure or aeronautical chart. Information that arrives after the cutoff is held over for a later revision cycle.
Plain English
The last day new information can be sent in to make it into the next update. Anything received after that day has to wait for the cycle after.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of instrument procedure chart updates, publication dates, and FAA revision cycles.
Derivation
From the everyday phrase 'to cut off,' meaning to stop something at a set point. In publishing and chart production, the cutoff is the moment the door closes on new submissions for the current edition.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing that procedure data has a cutoff explains why a recently surveyed obstacle or a newly built tower may not appear on the current chart, even though the chart is technically current. It is a reminder that 'current' means 'effective on this date,' not 'reflects everything known up to today.'
Intuition Check
Cutoff does not mean an engine or fuel control here. In this context, it means a deadline in the publication process.
Example Sentence 1
The new obstacle was identified two days after the cutoff, so it will not appear on charts until the following revision cycle.
Example Sentence 2
Because the procedure change missed the cutoff, the update was held for the subsequent publication date.