Meaning & use
postflight
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
happening or done after an aircraft has completed a flight
Grammar: Comes before a noun: a postflight inspection. Do not say 'the inspection is postflight' in everyday English.
Patterns
- postflight check
- postflight inspection
- postflight briefing
- postflight procedure
The crew carried out a postflight check before leaving the aircraft.
After landing, the pilot gave a short postflight briefing to the cabin staff.
The airline's postflight procedures include refueling and cleaning the cabin.
adverbtechnical
after a flight has ended
Grammar: Used mainly in technical writing, often after a verb: inspected postflight. In everyday speech, say after the flight.
Patterns
- inspected postflight
- checked postflight
The engine was inspected postflight for signs of damage.
All equipment is checked postflight and again before the next departure.
Common combinations
- postflight check
- The postflight check revealed a small leak in the hydraulic system.
- postflight inspection
- A postflight inspection is required before the plane can be cleared for its next trip.
- postflight briefing
- During the postflight briefing, the captain thanked the crew for their work.
- postflight procedure
- The manual lists every postflight procedure in order.
Synonyms and how they differ
- after-flight
- A rare alternative that means the same, but postflight is the standard term in aviation.
Opposites
Word family
- preflight adjective
- Happening or done before a flight: a preflight safety check.
- flight noun
- A journey by air; the base word that postflight is built from.
Commonly confused: postflight or preflight?
postflight vs preflight
Preflight means before a flight, while postflight means after it. They are opposites, so mixing them changes the meaning completely.
Practice
The mechanic found a problem during the ______ inspection, which took place right after the plane landed.
Choose one answer.
Postflight fits because the inspection happened after landing. Preflight would mean before the flight, and inflight and midflight refer to during the flight, so they do not match the time after landing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “postflight”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.