Flight Instructor for Powered-Lift Category › III. Preflight Preparation › Task B. Airworthiness Requirements

IL.III.B.K3b

Knowledge

Equipment requirements for day and night VFR flight, including:

Using an approved Minimum Equipment List (MEL)

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

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…
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…