Aviation Engineering

Civil aviation is huge business. There are more than 50 passenger-carrying airlines in the UK. This figure is set to rise as more and more people and freight move by air, despite reaction to 9/11 and recent alerts. Around 3 million tonnes of cargo and well over £100 billion worth of trade passes through Britain’s airports every year. Anyone wishing to work in the aviation engineering industry will find a number of jobs open to them; provided they have the necessary qualifications or are prepared to get them.

For many years the industry has taken the input of ex-Servicemen and women for granted. Service training and education has always been excellent, and the Service environment produces a very experienced individual after even comparatively short engagements. In civilian life, of course, profitability is a consideration in the operation of aircraft with a balance drawn between cost and safety. However, for ‘commercial’ substitute ‘operational’ and it is a very similar scenario to a Service one.

Aircraft engineering essentially splits into two areas - aircraft and avionics. Aircraft engineers inspect, repair and maintain the airframes and the engines, as well as munitions in the Services. Avionic engineers are concerned with the electrical and electronic equipment on aircraft including instruments, radio and radar.

Aircraft engineering in the Services

All three Services have aviation engineering specialists, working on sophisticated and complex instruments and aircraft, both rotary and fixed wing. Qualifications after training range from Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees, through Higher National Diplomas and Certificates to National Certificates, with institute membership at the appropriate grade being available.

Artificers in both the Royal Navy and the Army (REME), and Chief Technicians and many Junior Technicians in the RAF are extremely well qualified aircraft engineers. They may hold a degree or the equivalent and will certainly possess Level 3 qualifications. They will have to use their expertise on different equipment when they leave, but they will have an excellent knowledge of the principles.

One noticeable difference is that civilian employers are generally looking for someone who can work on a number of aspects of the same airframe, with some Service training being too specific for them. Most Service people translate their skills and experience into civilian qualifications while serving. Those who do not may have to prove expertise and pass unnecessary exams later.

Qualifications

It is necessary to have qualifications to work in any branch of engineering. Academic ones vary from degrees (foundation, undergraduate and master) through Higher National Diplomas and Higher National Certificates, to National Diplomas and National Certificates . Vocational qualifications include Vocational A-levels, General National Vocational Qualifications, Advanced Apprenticeships (Level 3), Apprenticeships (Level 2), National Vocational Qualifications and Scottish Vocational Qualifications.

Engineering Council

Engineering Council UK is the engineering profession’s lead body. It regulates through the engineering institutions, and is required under Royal Charter to register all engineers who have met standards of education, training and professional competence. The Register has three sections:

• Chartered Engineer (CEng)
• Incorporated Engineer (IEng)
• Engineering Technician (EngTech)

It plans to open a fourth section for ICT Technicians shortly.

All registrants, and there are more than 250,000 of them, are required to be members of one of 36 nominated engineering institutions. All membership and registration is done through the appropriate institute not directly with the Council.

Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS)

The RAeS is the major institute for aircraft engineering, as well as many other aspects of aeronautics. It has grades of membership for everyone from the junior trainee to people at the head of the profession, and it admits amateurs interested in the subject. It has members in 100 countries and branches in the world’s aerospace activity centres.

Aircraft maintenance qualifications

The Engineer’s Licensing Guidance Document (ELGD) provides detailed guidance about aircraft engineering licensing. It is produced by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on behalf of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and may be found on the CAA website. There are three categories of approval:

• Part-145 – approval of maintenance organisations – commercial air transport and large aircraft
• Part-66 – certifying staff – aircraft maintenance licence
• Part-147 – maintenance training organisation requirements

The old JAR-66 licence will not need to be converted to the new Part-66 licence as it is accepted under the regulations. A Part-66 licence will automatically be issued when applying for an amendment to a JAR-66 licence. JAR-66 licence privileges can be converted directly to a Part-66 licence without the need for additional requirements. This includes JAR-66 licences with limitations unless the applicant wishes to remove these limitations at the time of conversion, which will require further examination and experience requirements. The minimum age to hold a Part-66 licence is 18 years. In order to certify, the minimum age is 21.

A Part-66 an aircraft maintenance licence confirms that the person has met knowledge and experience requirements for any aircraft basic category and aircraft type rating specified. The licence is divided broadly between mechanical and avionic trade disciplines with the mechanical licence category being further subdivided. There are also levels within the licence that allow the holder to perform certain roles within line and/or base maintenance. These reflect different levels of task complexity and are supported by different standards of experience and knowledge. An individual may hold a combination of licence categories which are:

• Category A Maintenance Certifying Mechanic
• Category B1 Maintenance Certifying Technician (Mechanical)
• Category B2 Maintenance Certifying Technician (Avionic)
• Category C Base Maintenance Certifying Engineer.

Categories A and B1 are further divided into sub categories:

• A1 Aeroplanes Turbine
• A2 Aeroplanes Piston
• A3 Helicopters Turbine
• A4 Helicopters Piston

The wider privileges of the Category B licence and the role of the technician in defect diagnosis and rectification and system inspection require a more detailed knowledge than that for Category A. This requires a longer period of experience and examination at a higher level.

The requirements for Category C can be achieved through being a:

• Graduate with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering recognised by the CAA, or a similar discipline that is considered relevant to aircraft maintenance and that has been accepted for this purpose by the CAA
• B1 or B2 licence holder with certifying experience.

Applicants who successfully complete a Part-147 approved basic training course will have received instruction in the required subjects and have passed exams associated with that course and the respective licence category.

Part-66 licences are recognised across all EU states. For conversions, the EU State must have in place a conversion report and process. EASA do not recognise licences and qualifications gained outside the EASA member states. Training completed at a Part-147 organisation, approved by an EASA competent authority or directly by EASA is accepted.

There is provision for protected rights (national licence, qualification or certification authorisation privileges that were valid at a qualifying date) transferred to a Part-66 aircraft licence. Grandfather rights are authorisation privileges granted by an employer in accordance with the old authorisation procedure and are not protected rights. These privileges may continue to be exercised while the individual remains within the employment of the organisation that issued the original authorisation. They are lost when the individual leaves that company and cannot be transferred.

Under Part-66 there is a requirement to record satisfactory basic training and skills attainment as a pre-requisite for basic licence issue. To assist both basic and type rating applicants to demonstrate that they meet the licensing requirements, the CAA has introduced an aircraft maintenance engineer’s logbook.

Employment

The most highly qualified people generally plan and manage aviation engineering and avionic projects, with the next level of expertise supervising their implementation and the least skilled people actually doing the work. Experience leads to bigger and better tasks, while a mix of academic and vocational qualifications are usually the best way for the individual to develop and move up the career ladder.

The industry is extremely diverse. There are large airlines and small flying clubs. Helicopters fly to and from oil installations, much Service aircraft maintenance is contractorised, and there are large aircraft engineering companies working for airlines. Some agencies specialise in aircraft engineering.

Salaries

Aviation engineering entrants will start on £17,000 to £19,000, with experienced workers on £22,000 to £27,000 and senior engineers, quality engineers and inspectors earning £35,000 to £40,000 and upwards. Engineering industry norms for qualified people are:

• £50,000 for Chartered Engineers
• £41,000 for Incorporated Engineers
• £33,000 for Engineering Technicians

Information

Engineering Council UK, 246 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7EX Tel: 020 3206 0500

Website: www.engc.org.uk

Royal Aeronautical Society, 4 Hamilton Place, London, W1J 7BQ Tel: 020 7670 4300 Website: www.raes.org.uk

Engineer Licensing, Civilian Aviation Authority, Safety Regulation Group, Aviation House, Gatwick Airport South, West Sussex, RH6 0YR Tel: 01923 567171 Website: www.caa.co.uk

Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Alliance (aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul Sector Skills Council), 14 Upton Road, Watford, WD18 0JT Tel: 01923 238441 Website: www.semta.org.uk

Association of Licenced Aircraft Engineers (advice on training and course providers), Bourn House, 8 Park Street, Bagshot, Surrey, GU19 5AQ Tel: 01276 474888 Website: www.alae.org