Definition
A formal, documented examination of an aircraft, engine, propeller, appliance, or component to verify its condition and continued airworthiness against established standards. Aircraft inspections may be required by regulation (such as annual, 100-hour, progressive, or airworthiness directive inspections) and must be performed by appropriately certificated personnel, with the results recorded in the aircraft's maintenance records.
Plain English
A required check of the aircraft to confirm it is safe and legal to fly. The check is done by a qualified person and the results are written into the aircraft's logbooks.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft maintenance discussions, aircraft logbooks, preflight checks, and required items such as annual or 100-hour inspections.
Derivation
From the Latin inspicere, meaning 'to look into.' In aviation it carries that same sense, but with a formal weight: a structured looking-into of the aircraft against specific standards, not just a casual glance.
Why Pilots Care
Inspections are required by regulation to keep the aircraft legally airworthy and to prevent in-flight failures.
Intuition Check
Do not read inspection as just “taking a quick look.” In aircraft maintenance, an inspection may have a required scope, required timing, an authorized person to perform it, and a required logbook entry.
Example Sentence 1
Before accepting the aircraft, the pilot checked the logbooks to confirm the annual inspection was current.
Example Sentence 2
After the annual inspection, the mechanic signed off the aircraft as ready for flight.