Originally Posted by
Rwy in Sight
What does CDL stand for?
Configuration Deviation List - basically the MEL for the aerodynamic surfaces - access hatches, winglets, that sort of thing. Many (me included) tend to say MEL when we really mean the CDL.
I did a flight test one time on a 747 that had been configured for a 'worst case' CDL dispatch for some other flight test conditions. The FMC struggled to do speed changes because the aircraft drag was so much higher than normal - it kept undershooting the speed target (which was part of my test conditions).