Minimum Equipment List (MEL) – understanding the full scope

Course content:
The MEL is an operational document that pilots must consult prior to flight to determine whether or not inoperative equipment affects the airworthiness of the aircraft and the operational regulations for the intended flight.

Compiling a Minimum Equipment List is an air operator’s task and requires detailed knowledge of:

• MEL philosophy;
• MEL regulations;
• MEL sources;
• Aircraft configuration;
• Operator’s policies and procedures.

This training course educates participants on the MEL philosophy, MEL regulations and MEL sources and also explains how to ensure that aircraft configuration and the operator’s procedures are properly reflected in a MEL. Specifically, it focuses on items where operators are typically struggling with, such as is apparent from audits at operators and SAFA findings.

The course includes a workshop in which the operator’s current MEL is reviewed with participants.

Target audience
Operator’s and National Aviation Authority (NAA) personnel engaged in writing and/or approving Minimum Equipment Lists. This typically includes Flight Operations Support staff, Chief Pilots, Nominated Postholders Flight Operations, Maintenance Support staff on the operator side and Flight Operations Inspectors and Airworthiness Inspectors on the NAA side.

Training delivery
The course is delivered by a former Operations Quality Manager with a major European operator who has accumulated extensive experience in MEL preparation in addition to regulatory flight operations matters in general.

Course elements

Introduction

• Why an MEL?
• MEL philosophy
• Certification
  • Airworthiness
  • Operation

MMEL

• Basic principles
• Format and elements

MEL creation

• Creating and implementing
• MEL format
• CDL

Regulations

• ICAO
• Past: EU-OPS / JAR-MMEL/MEL
• Semi-past: TGL 26
• EASA regulations since 28 Oct 2014
• Other jurisdictions
• FAA policy letters

MEL approval

Examples

Exercises