Definition
In a maintenance and post-flight context, squawks are pilot-reported aircraft discrepancies — items noted as not working correctly, behaving abnormally, or otherwise needing inspection or repair. Squawks are typically recorded in the aircraft's logbook or a maintenance discrepancy form so that mechanics can address them before the next flight.
Plain English
Things the pilot noticed were wrong with the aircraft and wrote down so they can be fixed.
Context Anchor
Used after shutdown during a post-flight inspection, in aircraft logbook notes, or when telling maintenance or the next pilot what needs attention.
Derivation
The term comes from older radio and military slang where 'squawk' meant to report or call out something. In maintenance use, it carried over to mean any item a pilot 'calls out' as needing attention. (Note: this is unrelated to the transponder use of 'squawk,' which refers to a code sent to ATC.)
Why Pilots Care
Documenting squawks keeps the aircraft safe by ensuring small problems are fixed before they affect the next flight.
Intuition Check
Do not read squawks here as bird noises or only as transponder codes. In this post-flight context, squawks are reported aircraft problems that need attention.
Example Sentence 1
After landing, the pilot wrote up two squawks in the logbook: a flickering fuel gauge and a sticky cabin door latch.
Example Sentence 2
The mechanic cleared two squawks before releasing the aircraft for the next lesson.