Pre-Flight 3.1

Why Levels Matter

• Price has memory. The overnight high and low are left on the chart for a reason — price repeatedly returns to test, reject, or break through those exact levels. They are not random marks. They represent real decision points made by real participants with real money.
• The halfback is the pivot. Whether it's the ON halfback or the RTH halfback, the midpoint of any session range tells you who controls the prior auction. Trading above the halfback means buyers won that session. Below it means sellers did. Context matters before you enter anything.
• Midnight matters. The midnight NY open price is an ICT precision reference. It frequently acts as an intraday magnet — especially during the NY AM session. Know it every single day before the bell.
• Session boxes reveal the narrative. When you can see the Asia range, the London range, and the New York range side by side, the story of the day unfolds on its own. You see who started the move, who extended it, and who reversed it.
• Weekly levels are the big picture. The prior week's high and low define the macro range that institutional players are working within. A break and close above last week's high is a completely different trade than a rejection of it. Pre-Flight keeps both on your chart at all times.
• No Level. No Trade. This is the MicrosTrader rule. Pre-Flight exists so you always have a level to trade from. If price is drifting in the middle of a range with no Pre-Flight level nearby, that's not a setup — it's noise. Sit on your hands.

The Session Level Framework

The Eight Levels — What Each One Means

• ONH — Yellow (#efff3a): The highest price reached in the overnight session (3:01 PM–8:30 AM EST). This is your first upside target and first resistance reference heading into the RTH open. A convincing break above ONH in the first 30 minutes with volume signals momentum — look for continuation toward RTH levels above. A fade from ONH is your short setup back toward the ON Halfback or ONL.
• ONL — Yellow (#efff3a): The lowest price of the overnight session. Acts as initial support at the RTH open. A break below ONL early in the session is a bearish signal, especially on a tight overnight range — it indicates distribution and targets the prior RTH Low or weekly low.
• ON Halfback — Olive (#949e2b): The exact midpoint between ONH and ONL. This is the 50% line of the overnight auction. Price opening above the ON Halfback means buyers controlled the overnight range — bullish context for the day session. Opening below it means sellers did — bearish context. When RTH opens right at the ON Halfback, expect an early test of one side before the day finds direction.
• Midnight Price — Salmon (#c75858): The ES open at midnight New York time. A precision ICT reference that price frequently returns to during the NY AM session. Watch for a move toward Midnight and a sharp reaction — these setups often set up the direction of the rest of the morning. Gaps above or below Midnight at the 8:30 AM open are significant structural signals.
• RTH High — Green: Prior day's session high. The single most important level for defining trend continuation. A clean break and hold above prior RTH High on the open signals institutional buying — trend day potential, size up appropriately. A rejection at prior RTH High is your shorting level back toward the RTH Halfback.
• RTH Low — Green: Prior day's session low. The breakdown level. A conviction move below RTH Low signals distribution and targets the prior week's low. Failed breaks below RTH Low that quickly recover are strong reversal signals — buy the reclaim.
• RTH Halfback — Green: Prior day's midpoint. The prior session's fair value. Price tends to test the RTH Halfback during AM consolidation before making a directional move. Think of it as the pivot line between yesterday's buyers and sellers carrying their positions overnight.
• RTH Close — Green: Where yesterday's session ended. A strong close near the RTH High carries bullish momentum into the next session's overnight and RTH open. A weak close near the RTH Low sets up bearish structure. The Close relative to the ON range when you wake up tells you who has been in control overnight.

The 13-Point Pre-Flight Checklist

Each Item — What It Means & Why It's There

• AM Briefing: Have you watched or reviewed the morning briefing? You need to know the macro context — narrative, sentiment, and overnight developments — before you analyze a single chart.
• Forex Factory: Check for high-impact economic events scheduled today. CPI, NFP, FOMC, ISM, jobs data — these move the market. Know the exact time of every red folder event and have a plan: either avoid trading into it, or accept the volatility with reduced size.
• M, W, D Levels: Have you marked your Monthly, Weekly, and Daily levels on the chart? The Pre-Flight session dots operate within these larger structural levels. Know the big picture lines before you focus on the intraday.
• RTH Session Highs/Lows/HB: Confirm that yesterday's RTH High, Low, and Halfback are visible and noted. These are your primary context levels for today's session — they should be the first price references you identify on the chart every morning.
• ON Highs/Low/HB: Know today's ONH, ONL, and ON Halfback before the bell rings. These are the first levels you trade from. If you don't have them locked in before 8:30 AM, you're not ready.
• Single Prints / VPOCs: Are there any unfilled single prints or Volume Points of Control nearby? These act as market magnets that often get filled before a trend continuation. If you don't have Market Profile access, this item reminds you to at least be aware of any obvious gaps or spike areas on the chart.
• Trend Lines (HTF, ON): Have you drawn your higher timeframe trend lines and any overnight trend structure? A rising overnight channel versus a falling overnight channel completely changes the first trade of the day. Context before entries — always.
• Index Levels: Are you aware of where the NQ, YM, and RTY are relative to their own key levels? When all four major equity index futures are aligned — all above their ONH or all below their ONL — that's a high-conviction signal. When they diverge, it's a warning. Check the indices every morning.
• Should I Be Trading??? Seriously ask this question. Is there a high-impact event in the next two hours? Is the overnight range abnormally wide? Is this a holiday week with low participation? Is the macro environment in an event-risk period? Not every day is a trading day. This item forces a conscious decision rather than a habitual one.
• Risk First! GBE = Gift. Have you defined your stop and your maximum daily loss before the first trade? A breakeven exit is a gift from the market — never surrender it by letting a winner reverse into a loser. Risk management is decided before entry, not after.
• No Level. No Trade! If you cannot identify a clear Pre-Flight level that provides a logical entry, stop, and target — there is no trade. This is not a guideline. This is the rule that separates disciplined MicrosTrader members from the trading masses.
• Keep A Runner! When a trade goes your way, scale out a portion at your first target but always keep a runner working toward the next Pre-Flight level. The market is offering you more — don't cut the whole position at the first sign of profit.
• Papercut / Half Losses! If a trade is not working, cut it at half your planned stop loss — immediately. Small losses are recoverable inside a single session. Full stop-outs are costly and demoralizing. If the trade behaves unexpectedly in the first minute, that's information. Cut it fast and reassess from the outside.

Trading the Levels — Step by Step

The Pre-Flight Trade Setup Checklist

• Identify the nearest Pre-Flight level above and below current price. These are your next targets in both directions. One is your trade target; the other is your stop reference. You need both before you enter anything.
• Wait for price to arrive at the level — do not front-run. The edge is in trading the reaction at the level, not in anticipating the approach. Let price do the work of coming to you.
• Watch for a confirming reaction. At an ONH or prior RTH High, look for a rejection candle — a wick, a failed push, a sharp reversal. At an ONL or prior RTH Low, look for a hold and bounce. The level alone is not the signal — the price action at the level is.
• Place your stop just beyond the level. If you're fading a test of ONH, your stop belongs a few ticks above ONH — not five points above. Level breaks that stick are real breaks. Honor them.
• Target the next Pre-Flight level. When you enter a fade at ONH, your first target is the ON Halfback. From there, scale out and run the remainder toward ONL if the move continues. Let Pre-Flight's own level structure define your targets — don't improvise.
• Keep a runner toward the bigger level. The ON Halfback to ONL is one trade. The ONL to prior RTH Low is another. The prior RTH Low to last week's low is the full move. Keep a partial position running toward each successive level as long as the market obliges.
• Respect a clean break through a level. If price breaks through ONH with a strong, full-bodied candle and closes above it, that level has flipped from resistance to support. Revisit your directional bias. A break through a Pre-Flight level is information — don't fade it without a new confirming reaction.
• Cut fast on failure. If your fade does not produce the expected rejection within two to three candles, cut the trade at half your intended stop. The Papercut rule is not optional — it is the trade management policy of the MicrosTrader system.