Definition
The final stage of flight planning carried out shortly before departure, in which the pilot reviews current weather, NOTAMs, aircraft status, weight and balance, performance data, fuel requirements, and the specific route and alternates for the actual flight about to be flown.
Plain English
The last round of planning a pilot does just before getting in the aircraft, using the most up-to-date information for the flight they are about to make.
Context Anchor
Used in preflight risk decisions, especially before dispatching a training flight or making a final go/no-go decision.
Derivation
‘Immediate’ comes from Latin ‘immediatus’, meaning ‘without anything in between.’ Here it signals planning done with nothing standing between it and the flight itself — the planning right before you fly, using the freshest information.
Why Pilots Care
Catches last-minute changes that could turn an acceptable flight into an unsafe one, directly lowering accident risk.
Intuition Check
Do not read “immediate” as “rushed” or “last-minute guessing.” Here it means using fresh, current information just before the flight decision is made.
Example Sentence 1
During immediate preflight planning, she checked the latest weather and noticed a line of thunderstorms had moved into her route, prompting a delay.
Example Sentence 2
The student performed immediate preflight planning by confirming the latest METAR and adjusting the fuel load for the shorter runway.