Minimum Equipment List

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is uncategorized.
Please help improve this article by adding it to one or more categories, so it may be associated with related articles (how?). Please remove this tag after categorizing. This article has been tagged since December 2006.

1 Definition
2 Reasons for use
3 Uses
- 3.1 A minimum equipment list is required:

[edit] Definition

A minimum equipment list is a categorized list of instruments and equipment on an aircraft allowing that aircraft to be operated with some of those instruments or pieces of equipment inoperative. Minimum equipment list is often abbreviated as MEL. Contrary to what its name may suggest, the MEL is actually "a list of things that can be broken." This causes confusion for many student pilots.

[edit] Reasons for use

Unless certain conditions are met, the Federal_Aviation_Regulations do not allow any aircraft to be operated with any equipment inoperative.[1] One of these conditions is that the aircraft has an MEL and that the inoperative equipment is not listed as required. Minimum equipment lists are necessary because something as insignificant as a light bulb in the cabin is considered to be part of the electrical system and thus part of the airplane's equipment. Of course it is most likely perfectly safe to fly with a cabin light out, so this item would be added to a minimum equipment list. Other things that may be on an MEL include taxi, landing, and cockpit lights, navigation instruments while flying under Visual_Flight_Rules, and communication radios.

[edit] Uses

Minimum equipment lists are issued to specific aircraft and specific operators. In order to use a minimum equipment list, that specific company must receive a letter of authorization from the FAA.