Tool used to help aircrews determine aircraft airworthiness.

• A. G081
• B. PS&D
• C. MEL
• D. MESL

Answer: (C)

The Minimum Equipment List is the tool flight crews use to determine airworthiness when some equipment may be inoperative. It is an approved document that specifies which inoperative items can be deferred, the conditions and time limits for that deferral, and any required actions before flight. By translating maintenance status into a dispatch decision, the MEL tells you whether the aircraft can legally and safely operate with certain equipment out of service. For example, if a defect is covered by the MEL and the flight can proceed within the specified limits, the aircraft is considered airworthy for that flight. If the defect isn’t covered by the MEL or the limits aren’t met, the aircraft isn’t airworthy and must be repaired or deferred according to the rules.

The other options aren’t the standard tool used by aircrews to judge airworthiness for flight; they’re not the formal dispatch mechanism that governs equipment status in the same way as the MEL.