Definition
The flight plan as submitted by the pilot or dispatcher to ATC, exactly as filed, without any changes, clearances, or amendments that may be applied later by a controller.
Plain English
The original version of your flight plan as you submitted it, before ATC changes anything in it.
Context Anchor
You will see this term in flight planning and air traffic control discussions, especially when comparing what was submitted with what the pilot is later cleared to fly.
Derivation
Filed' comes from the office practice of placing documents on record. A filed flight plan is the version officially submitted into the system.
Why Pilots Care
Activates ATC services and starts search-and-rescue procedures if the aircraft becomes overdue.
Intuition Check
Do not read filed as meaning final. A filed flight plan is the submitted version; it can still be changed by the pilot or by later air traffic control instructions.
Example Sentence 1
Her filed flight plan routed her direct to the destination, but ATC cleared her via an airway instead.
Example Sentence 2
Even on a VFR trip the instructor recommended filing a flight plan for added safety.