Flight Deck doors and the MEL
This is triggered by the flight deck door thread. I decided to post a new thread rather than change the direction of an existing one.
The company I am employed by, British, totally charter at the moment, has in it’s various MELs (5 a/c types) the fairly normal statement :
The aircraft may continue the flight or series of flights for the purpose of returning to a place where repairs can be made,
The aircraft shall not depart an airport where repairs or replacements can be carried out.
I have always considered this to mean ‘Main Base’ i.e. where the bulk of the Maintenance is carried out, where all the Engineers are etc. However they (MEL Compilers) have inserted a clause in the preamble to the MEL which states that lack of spares, qualified manpower etc. would qualify a station as one where repairs or replacements could not be performed, even if it's a main base. This seems to be a ‘get out ‘ sort of we can fly with that until the spare turns up, qualified manpower is available etc.
My (engineering) view is that this paragraph means, and not open to interpretation, grounded on return to base, spares, manpower, time, and all the other excuses not even considered.
What do the drivers think ?
Last edited by woderick; 20th September 2002 at 22:21.