Definition
A walk-around check of the airplane performed after shutdown to identify any damage, leaks, wear, or abnormalities that occurred during the flight, and to confirm the airplane is properly secured and configured for storage or the next flight.
Plain English
After the engine is off, the pilot walks around the airplane and looks it over to spot anything that broke, leaked, or came loose during the flight, and makes sure the airplane is parked and tied down properly.
Context Anchor
Done after landing, shutdown, and parking, usually before the pilot leaves the airplane.
Derivation
From 'post-' (Latin for 'after') and 'flight.' So the term simply means an inspection done after flying — the counterpart to the preflight inspection done before flying.
Why Pilots Care
Catches issues like propeller nicks, fluid leaks, or tire damage while details are fresh, preventing problems on the next flight.
Intuition Check
Do not treat a post-flight inspection as just a quick glance after shutdown. In this context, it means a purposeful check for anything that changed, broke, leaked, loosened, or needs to be reported before the next flight.
Example Sentence 1
During the post-flight inspection, she noticed a small streak of oil on the cowling that had not been there that morning.
Example Sentence 2
During the post-flight inspection the student noticed oil streaks on the engine cowling and reported them to the instructor.