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So what makes for a good squawk?

A good squawk report should contain answers, when applicable, to at least these three questions:  What? Where? and When?  The “what” is usually all that’s reported, and sometimes is sufficient: “Pilot seat not secured properly to seat track,” or “Right side PTT switch failed.”  “Where” and “when” refers to the physical location of airplane, conditions of flight (if pertinent), and phase of flight, when the discrepancy is noticed, such as “On climb-out, passing 1500 ft” or “Cruise, 1 hour after departure, 9000 ft” or “On ground, after run up, 98º with no wind” or “Outside FAF, above GS, in heavy rain.”

The best write-ups often come from pilots who have a good understanding of the aircraft’s systems, which should mean that any CFI reported squawk should be irreproachable. That’s not always true, but the point is that everyone should have enough of a background in the aircraft systems to describe the “what” in a concise, but informative manner. The “where” and “when” are tremendously helpful bits of information for troubleshooting the “what”, but are typically missing from the squawk reports. It’s a good idea to make a quick note on a knee-board when a squawk-able item appears during flight, rather than waiting until the day’s end and when the memory may be lacking.