Originally Posted by
shfo
It's not a Jurassic procedure and we are not the only ones doing it. I was just on an Alaska Jumpseat and had the APU fail on start up. They called the mechanic out to MEL it. While the mechanic was MELing it, the captain was on the ACARS getting a new release to include add fuel for the MEL (need to do cross bleed start) and the FO was keeping the passengers up to speed on the situation.
Be a captain, like I said. Just because it's legal doesn't make it smart. If you're flying into a mountainous area.. is going there without EGPWS a good idea? Is flying without TCAS a good idea? No. Don't do it. Use your melon.
I've refused aircraft on a number of occasions b/c of MELs and conditions we were operating into.
If we're at a mx station, we'll always call the mechanics regardless if it's legal to be flight crew placarded. You may have been mistaken. Mx has to be coordinated with for any deferral...
We cannot do any action that requires reference to a maintenance manual.