Definition
A document used by air carriers that provides crews and maintenance personnel with the operational and maintenance procedures required when an aircraft is dispatched with an item of equipment that is inoperative or missing under the authority of the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) or Configuration Deviation List (CDL).
Plain English
A guide that tells the crew and maintenance staff exactly what to do when an aircraft is allowed to fly with something broken, missing, or deactivated. It spells out the steps for safely handling that situation.
Context Anchor
Seen in airline, charter, and other dispatch-controlled operations when a dispatcher, pilot, or maintenance person is deciding whether an aircraft can depart with a known defect or abnormal condition.
Derivation
Dispatch' refers to releasing an aircraft for flight. 'Deviation' means a departure from the normal, fully equipped configuration. The title literally describes its purpose: a guide for the procedures used when dispatching an aircraft that deviates from full equipment status.
Why Pilots Care
Without following this guide, dispatching an aircraft with an inoperative item is not legal. It tells the crew what placards to install, what systems to deactivate, and what operational limits apply for the flight.
Intuition Check
Do not read “deviation” as making up an exception on the spot. Here it means a documented, approved difference from the normal aircraft condition, handled by a specific procedure.
Example Sentence 1
Before dispatch, the captain consulted the Dispatch Deviations Procedures Guide to confirm the steps required for flying with an inoperative auxiliary fuel pump.
Example Sentence 2
Any performance penalty listed in the Dispatch Deviations Procedures Guide was applied to the takeoff calculations.