Filing and Resolving Squawks
Summary
Squawks are write-ups for aircraft discrepancies — from minor notes to conditions that ground the aircraft. Filing can happen from the iOS app (on any event with an aircraft) or from the web Admin Portal. Reviewing, acknowledging, and resolving squawks is a web function. A Do Not Fly squawk hard-blocks dispatch until it is resolved or overridden by a user with the appropriate permission.
Who this is for
Filing squawks: any user — instructor or student — with dispatch report permission on their account.
Reviewing and resolving (web only): Admins and Chief Instructors with squawk management permission.
Severity levels
Every squawk requires a severity. Choose based on the dispatch impact you intend.
| Severity | Color | Effect on dispatch |
|---|---|---|
| Info | Blue | Noted on the Flight Release; no dispatch impact |
| Discrepancy | Yellow | Surfaced on the Flight Release for the dispatcher to review; does not block |
| Do Not Fly | Red | Hard-blocks dispatch until the squawk is resolved or overridden |
Filing from iOS
Standalone — on an event
On the Event Detail screen, tap the File Squawk button (octagon icon, top-left toolbar). This option appears only when the event has an assigned aircraft and the user has dispatch report permission.
Form fields:
- Severity — Info, Discrepancy, or Do Not Fly
- Description — describe the squawk
- Attachment (Optional) — one file, JPG/PNG/PDF, up to 25 MB; choose from your photo library or the Files app
Tap Submit to send. The sheet closes on success.
At check-in — during the return flow
The "Submit Return" form (the check-in screen after landing) has an optional squawk section at the bottom. Tap Report Squawk to add one; tap + Add to add more. Multiple squawks can be bundled into a single return.
Check-in squawk fields are the same as standalone (Severity and Description), but there is no attachment option in this path. Squawks are created server-side when the return is submitted — tapping Done adds them to a local list first; nothing is sent until you submit the full return form.
Filing from the web
On the aircraft detail overlay, open the Squawks tab and click Report Squawk in the tab header. Web filing supports multiple file attachments (JPG, PNG, PDF, Word, or text; up to 25 MB each), unlike the single-attachment limit on iOS.
Reviewing squawks on the web
Open the aircraft detail overlay and go to the Squawks tab. Active squawks (Open and Acknowledged) appear first, sorted by severity — Do Not Fly at top, then Discrepancy, then Info — newest first within each level. Resolved squawks are hidden by default; click Show Resolved (N) to view them.
Each squawk card shows:
- A colored severity icon and a unique identifier (Squawk #[ID])
- A status chip: Open, Acknowledged, or Resolved
- An attachment chip ("N Attachment(s)") if files are present — attachments are also accessible from the aircraft's Documents tab
- Description text
- An audit trail: who reported it, when, and a note "via flight check-in" if the squawk came from a dispatch return; acknowledgment and resolution details when applicable
Squawk lifecycle
Acknowledge — click Acknowledge on an Open squawk. The status changes to Acknowledged immediately with no dialog. Use this to signal the write-up is known and being assessed. Acknowledged squawks still surface in the Flight Release.
Resolve — click Resolve on any Open or Acknowledged squawk. A dialog appears with one optional field: Resolution Notes. Click Resolve to confirm. Resolved squawks move to the history section and become read-only — resolution is a terminal state; squawks cannot be deleted or reopened.
Edit — click Edit on any active squawk to change the severity, description, or add files. Resolved squawks cannot be edited.
Do Not Fly — dispatch impact
An open Do Not Fly squawk hard-blocks the aircraft for dispatch. When a dispatcher reaches the Flight Release step, the verdict reads:
Blocked — Override Required "A hard-block (open "Do Not Fly" squawk) must be resolved or overridden before check-out."If the aircraft is also grounded, both reasons are combined in the message.
To lift the block, resolve the squawk — this immediately removes the hard-block for any subsequent Flight Release evaluation. Acknowledging alone does not lift the block. A user with override permission can bypass the block without resolving it by providing an override reason, but the squawk remains open and visible.
Where squawks appear
Aircraft Squawks tab (web) — full squawk list with lifecycle actions, accessible from the aircraft detail overlay.
Scheduling dialogs (web) — when creating or editing an event, the selected aircraft's open squawks appear in a panel below the aircraft picker. A green card ("No open squawks") shows when the aircraft is clear. If squawks exist, the card is tinted by the highest open severity and shows a count ("Squawks (N)") with a summary like "1 do not fly · 2 discrepancy". Tap or click to expand individual squawk entries.
Flight Release panel (web) — open squawks are always listed during dispatch checkout, and a Do Not Fly squawk triggers the Blocked verdict.
iOS Event Detail — Open Squawks row — tap to open a sheet listing all open squawks for the event's aircraft. Each entry shows the severity icon, description, date, and a status chip (Open or Acknowledged).
Common issues
"File Squawk" button isn't visible on iOS. The event does not have an aircraft assigned, or the user lacks dispatch report permission. Check the event's aircraft assignment in the Admin Portal.
Attachment filed at check-in is missing. The check-in squawk path does not support attachments. After the return is finalized, open the squawk from the aircraft's Squawks tab on the web and use Edit to add the file.
Acknowledged squawk still blocks dispatch. Only resolving a Do Not Fly squawk lifts the hard block. Acknowledgment changes the status but has no effect on the Flight Release verdict.
Resolved squawks not visible. Resolved squawks are hidden by default. Click Show Resolved (N) at the bottom of the Squawks tab to reveal them.