Originally Posted by
marvo999
I guess as UK LAE's we have to ask ourselves why did we allow the ALAE to shrink to the size it got to and so force it to have to 'merge' into Prospect? The idea that small Unions 'merge' into the larger ones is not new of course however most of the time it is due to reducing membership numbers that creates the need for these 'mergers' to happen.
Personally I would like to see an Association that simply looks after the interests of the 10,000 or so UK LAE's and the flying public and doesn't get mixed up in anything else.
We, as LAE's are an endangered species again and Industry will always be pushing hard to drive down costs and we need to understand that it's us, and us alone, that will look after our interests.
The flying public don't even want to consider how the aircraft they are flying on has been maintained they just hope and often pray it has been maintained correctly, we are the hidden heroes of safe flying but keep such low profiles that no one talks about us. How many times do you see LAE's on Airport TV shows? We don't exist to most people.
If I hear of anything else I will post it however it's good to talk as they say!
I can think of three programmes, " Ice Pilots ", one about Dubai / Emirates, and "Airport Alaska " where engineering was featured quite extensively. The latter showed quite a few jobs the public would be unaware of such as fan blade NDT / boroscopes for example and also touched on the long standing pressure / time constraints and release to service issues. .
With regard to other shows however, the "problem " is that engineers tend not to be tele visual entertainment, in contrast to some in customer services who are in love with themselves, hence perfect from a television producers perspective.
Another "problem " is, that, over the years engineers have always been reticent to promote themselves, and the range of work / knowledge and responsibility involved to the general public. Anybody who is attracted to engineering, generally speaking, does have an interest in aviation which is a bit more expansive that visiting an air show.