Monday, May 5, 2008

AERONAUTICAL GLOSSARY : MAXIMUM LANDING WEIGHT - MINIMUM EQUIPMENT LIST (MEL)


MAXIMUM LANDING WEIGHT—The greatest weight that an airplane normally is allowed to have at landing.

MAXIMUM RAMP WEIGHT— The total weight of a loaded aircraft, including all fuel. It is greater than the takeoff weight due to the fuel that will be burned during the taxi and run up operations. Ramp weight may also be referred to as taxi weight.

MAXIMUM TAKEOFF WEIGHT—The maximum allowable weight for takeoff.

MAXIMUM WEIGHT—The maximum authorized weight of the aircraft and all of its equipment as specified in the Type Certificate Data Sheets (TCDS) for the aircraft.

MAXIMUM ZERO FUEL WEIGHT (GAMA)—The maximum weight, exclusive of usable fuel.

MEAN AERODYNAMIC CHORD (MAC)—The average distance from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the wing.

MERIDIANS—Lines of longitude.

MESOSPHERE—A layer of the atmosphere directly above the stratosphere.

METAR—See AVIATION ROUTINE WEATHER REPORT.

MICROBURST—A strong downdraft which normally occurs over horizontal distances of 1 NM or less and vertical distances of less than 1,000 feet. In spite of its small horizontal scale, an intense microburst could induce windspeeds greater than 100 knots and downdrafts as strong as 6,000 feet per minute.

MILITARY OPERATION AREAS (MOA)—Airspace that consists of defined vertical and lateral limits established for the purpose of separating certain military training activity from IFR traffic. These are depicted on aeronautical charts.

MILITARY TRAINING ROUTES (MTR)—Routes developed to allow the military to conduct low altitude, high-speed training. These routes are identified on sectional charts.

MINIMUM DRAG—The point on the total drag curve where the lift-to-drag ratio is the greatest. At this speed, total drag is minimized.

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 by the FAA and must be approved by the FAA for use. It is specific to an individual aircraft make and model.

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