Sport Flight Instructor Helicopter - Simplified Flight Controls › III. Preflight Preparation › Task B. Airworthiness Requirements

FH.III.B.K3b

Knowledge

Equipment requirements for day and night VFR flight, including:

Using an approved Minimum Equipment List (MEL)

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Study note

Get a short, cited explanation of this element written from the FAA handbooks: the core idea, the numbers that matter, common test traps, and a quick self-check.

From the FAA library

Helicopter Flying Handbook p. 8-2
Chapter 8: Ground Procedures and Flight Preparations › Preflight › Minimum Equipment Lists (MELs) and Operations with Inoperative Equipment
installed equipment be operative prior to each departure. However, when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) adopted the minimum equipment list (MEL) concept for 14 CFR part 91 operations, flights were allowed with inoperative items, as long as the inoperative items ... operators, without an MEL, to defer repairs on nonessential equipment within the guidelines of part 91. Figure 8-1. The pilot in command is responsible for the airworthy condition of the aircraft and using checklists to ensure proper inspection…
Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge p. 9-10
Chapter 9: Flight Manuals and Other Documents › Minimum Equipment Lists (MEL) and Operations With Inoperative Equipment
The FAA considers an approved MEL to be a supplemental type certificate…
Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge p. G-20
Glossary › Domestic Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum
Minimum equipment list (MEL). A list developed for larger aircraft that outlines equipment that can be inoperative for various types of flight including IFR and icing conditions. This list is based on the master minimum equipment list (MMEL) developed ... must be approved by the FAA for use. It is specific to an individual aircraft make and model. Minimum obstruction clearance altitude (MOCA). The lowest published altitude in effect between radio fixes on VOR airways, off-airway routes, or route…
Instrument Procedures Handbook p. 7-5
Chapter 7: Helicopter Instrument Procedures › Pilot Proficiency
Minimum Equipment List (MEL) A helicopter operating under 14 CFR Part 135 with certain installed equipment inoperative is prohibited from taking off unless the operation is authorized in the approved MEL. The MEL provides for some equipment to be inoperative ... single-pilot IFR may depart IFR with certain equipment inoperative provided a crew of two pilots is used. Under 14 CFR Part 91, a pilot may defer certain items without an MEL if those items are not required…