It was ever thus, and applies to civvy street as well. There's an inbred aversion to us grease-monkeys whether we work on motorbikes, cars or aircraft, best summed up by my late friend Noel who acquired a Honda agency some 55 years ago. "You and I were always tinkering with our machines, Mike, we were happiest when plastered in oil or lying under the chassis. But today's youngsters are not interested, they won't get their hands dirty, they prefer to drop their machinery in to me. Of course it's great for my business, but what's going to happen when nobody wants to be an engineer?"
I think many engineers feel a step down in the pecking order as they don their overalls. Long ago I earned my A and C engineers' licences the hard way and I'm still proud to have attained them -- in fact I still value them more than my UK instrument rating. Some knights of the sky should remember who cares for their steeds ...