all have section five labelled mel
Very interesting! What aircraft types are these? What registry? , If I may ask....
I know that MEL's can be nationally approved (meaning not a part of the original type design) but commonly they originate from the manufacturer, who is the presumed expert on the basic plane. An MEL which meets the North American certification requirement will include a "time" for rectification, they are never open ended. I suppose that another nation could do it differently, I only know North American MEL's
Flight Manual format evolved over the decades. In the 1970's GAMA (GA Manufacturer's Association) participated with the FAA to set a common Flight Manual fomat to allow predicable compliance with the FAR Part 23.1581 "Flight Manual" requirement. The accepted format is now: Section 1, General, Section 2, Limitations, Section 3, Emergency Procedures, Section 4 Normal Procedures, Section 5, Performance, Section 6, Weight and Balance, and Section 7, Systems information. When I submit a Flight Manual Supplement for approval, it must conform to that format. There can be some variance for larger aircraft with the inclusion of a section for "Abnormal Procedures" between Emerg, and Normal, but I've never seen one like that for a GA aircraft.
The key is to make the use of the Flight Manual very predictable for pilots. Interestingly, some Pipers (including the Twin Comanche) have both a "POH" and an FAA approved Flight Manual. The Flight Manual is the authoritative document for the operation of the aircraft. The POH is a very flashy, and wildly optimistic marketing document. Cessna, on the otherhand, has always provided only one, and it's accurate. Pilots just have to accept the variances of the older pre GAMA POH's, and similar documents, where no Flight Manual exists for an aircraft.