I sometimes get involved at work with putting things on MEL (minimum equipment List). How much of a problem or added flightcrew workload are they? What's the MEL item you least like to have to deal with?
Wally

• RE: Flying with MEL items,mark_hoffman, 19:36z, 05-01-03
  • RE: Flying with MEL items,vgbaron, 01:38z, 05-02-03
    • RE: Flying with MEL items,mark_hoffman, 17:19z, 05-02-03
      • RE: Flying with MEL items,vgbaron, 01:56z, 05-03-03
  • RE: Flying with MEL items,wally150driver, 18:55z, 05-04-03
    • RE: Flying with MEL items,mark_hoffman, 07:50z, 05-05-03

Hi Wally,

As far as how big a problem MEL items are for crews, it totally depends on what the item is. Our first exposure to an MEL item is usually when we review the paperwork(flight plan etc.) before a flight. We see that something on the aircraft has been defered and there is an MEL "card" that tells us what the restrictions are that we have to comply with. Some MEL items are almost meaningless to us, for example, a burned out reading lite back in the cabin. Others can have a significant impact on the flight, for example, if the anti-skid brake system was inop, it would require a very large adjustment of our take-off and landing wieghts(tens of thousands of pounds). Most MEL's fall somewhere between those extremes and are more of an annoyance.

I guess the types of MEL's that add the most workload for us are ones where whole systems aren't working that require us to do something manually. Some examples would be an auto pressurization controller not working or the FMC(Flight Management System) box being dead. Those types of failures add a lot ot work load in the terminal environment when we are already very busy.

Often we will discover something in flight that isn't working. In those cases we usually pull out the MRM( Maintinance Reporting Manual) and send a coded report of the problem to Maintinance over ACARs. Faults found in flight aren't required to be defered until before the next flight. Of course if the item is something significant, we have Irregular and Emergency checklists to deal with the ramifications of it.

United is also one of the few airlines with the capability for all our crews to be able to speak to SAM(System Aircraft Maintinance) via Satcom 24 hrs a day worldwide. We often use this to discuss the ramifications of a system failure if we feel that it will affect the rest of the flight.

It's interesting to know that every airliner you've ever flown on more than likely had at least several defered(MEL'd) pieces of equipment. Airliners are very complex pieces of equipment and they never have everything working at any one time!

Anyway, another long-winded answer! I hope I don't get a bad reputation for it! It's hard to answer these types of questions well but shortly.
By the way who do you work for? What do you do with MEL's?

Mark

Hi Mark -

>
> Anyway, another long-winded answer! I hope I don't get a bad reputation
> for it! It's hard to answer these types of questions well but shortly.
> By the way who do you work for? What do you do with MEL's?

Keep up the long winded answers! They are very informative. Most pilots who fly light GA aircraft aren't aware of the complexity of preparing for a flight like you. We knock out a simple flight plan, check our weights, weather etc and away we go.

On any given day, without any serious weather considerations, how long does it take to fully prepare for one of your regular trips?

Thanx,

Vic

P.S. When you're in town and available on a Tues or Thurs at 7pm - drop in the chat for a bit and say hello.

V

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Registered to: Vic Baron
-OLR.PL v1.81-

How much time it take to prepare for a flight depends a lot on where we are going. When I fly to Hawaii, ther are ETOPS(Extended Twin Engine Operations) and other overwater considerations. For example we have to plot the PET(Point of Equal Time) on a plotting chart to let us know which way to go if we have an engine or pressurization problem enroute. When we get the plane we also have to contact ARINC to get the current high frequency channels to keep in contact over water and to give our postion reports on. There's a lot of other stuff to do too! When we go back East, there are usually traffic and weather concerns, so we spend more time looking at weather and fuel requirements.

Anyway, on average it probably takes us about an hour to prepare for a flight. Maybe when I get back from the trip I'm going on today I will walk you through a typical "day at the office" to let you see how it all works. Would that be interesting?

Cheers,
Mark

Hi Mark -

Yes - that would be great.! I'll look forward to it.

ttyl,

Vic

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Registered to: Vic Baron
-OLR.PL v1.81-

>By the way who do you work for? What do you do with MEL's?
>
>Mark

Hi Mark, I thought sure that saying I am in Memphis and work for an overnight Express package delivery service might have given it away but maybe not.

I don't know much about the delivery side but I think if they can get it to us by 10pm for most small stuff, we can have it delivered just about anywhere in the cont. US by 9am the next day.

I mostly help the mechanics straighten out IPC, Maint. Manual, and wiring issues on our planes. My involvement with MEL issues is mostly effectivity related although sometimes I coordinate with the FAA on broken/missing components. Our office is staffed 24/7 and we do what we can to help get a plane on delay (ready to depart) moving.

Mostly it is looking up drawings and helping with spare parts. The structures guys in my group are always helping with repairs in B checks or damage. Our planes are always getting dinged up, no matter how carefull the ground crews are.

I get calls from various places in the US, Alaska, Hawaii, China, Taiwan and onc in a while, South America.

Well I figured it was FedEx, but I know that they use a lot of sub-contrators, so I wasn't completely sure! It sounds like they keep you busy.