Where is the CDL located?

• A. Part of the AFM
• B. In a maintenance manual
• C. In the MEL
• D. In the QRH

Answer: (A)

The thing being tested is where flight crew reference data for how the airplane should be operated is found. The Configuration Deviation List describes the limited configurations and the performance/handling implications that are allowable for the aircraft to fly. Because this information directly affects how you operate the airplane in flight, it belongs with the Aircraft Flight Manual, the official source for operating limits, procedures, and performance data. It isn’t a maintenance document, so it isn’t in the maintenance manual, and it isn’t the Quick Reference Handbook, which covers abnormal procedures in flight. It also isn’t the MEL, which covers what equipment can be inoperative for dispatch; the CDL defines the permissible configurations and their effects, which the AFM presents to the pilot.