Legal aircraft library?

[Brenoch]

Don't know wether this is the right place for legal mumbo jumbo but I need someone in the know to shed some light on this.

Say you find yourself downroute in an aeroplane operated under a JAR-OPS A.O.C. and a snag on the aeroplane leads you to consult the DDG/MEL. In said document it states that the aeroplane can be dispatched with this snag and gives you a reference to an FAA document with regards to i.e. performance penalties. I always thought there are some significant differences between JAA and FAA performance.
If so, is the document itself illegal thus dispatching the aeroplane illegal?

Regs

[LME (GOD)]

I presume you are taking about a Boeing operated by say BA/Easyjet/Ryanair etc....the manuals MMEL DDPG are approved by the authority that issue the orginal type certificate, ie FAA, any reference to other documents would be by implication approved as the responsibilty would be with the FAA.....i think this makes sense??

[Brenoch]

I see your point but I'm not entirely convinced. I understand the bit with the approved master MEL but when it comes to performance I was under the impression that the diffrences between JAA and FAA performance was of such nature that you would have to modify said document so that it conforms with JAR-OPS.

[GotTheTshirt]

The MMEL is issued by the manufacturer and approved by (in the case of a US manufacturer) by the FAA.
You then have to take that document and customise it for your aircraft and have it approved by your CAA to make an MEL.

This customising should take care of things like cargo vs passenger, specific avionic fit, and configuration differences plus any references should be in conformance with your CAA requirements such as performance etc

[Brenoch]

That's what I thought, thanks.

[Blacksheep]

As more and more aircraft are operated under lease, this issue is becoming increasingly common.

There is no problem with any particular technical document referring to approved data originating from a different regulatory body - usually the state of manufacture - provided the technical document is itself approved by the local regulator.

The frontispiece of each approved technical document should have a stamp signifying local approval. There may be dispensations or waivers operating in the background that are not immediately apparent to front line staff.

[Earthmover]

Absolutely - where the CAA has a more stringent or restrictive variation to the manufacturer's MMEL, it is issued in a CAA supplement to the MMEL, which is then incorporated into your own Company MEL, which is then submitted to the CAA for approval. So you should be able to assume that everything in it is 'kosher.'