Ah the good old JAR 66 "X" exam rears its ugly head again.
What worries me about this particular part of JAR 66 is that 'electrics' is as much about about trade practices as theoretical knowledge of electrical systems. What contact part number would you use for position 12 in connector D47778P? What tools would you use to change it? What tool settings are needed? Are any special inserts required? Have you ever used a Time Domain Reflectometer to find a fault in a co-axial cable? The store is out of BMS13-51C Type XII Class 2 20 Gauge. What alternatives do you have? Can you strip a cable and crimp a connection without cutting any strands or making a weak joint? Every time? In the dark and rain on a cold night on the line? Get the picture? It isn't about academic or theoretic knowledge. Try and imagine avionics people, having done private study from books and passed a multi-choice paper, going out to do structural repairs on the aircraft. I know it's fun to take the p*ss out of avionics and our 'electric string' but wiring is dangerous if it isn't done right. Remember SwissAir 111?
Employers and regulators are gambling on the dwindling numbers of avionics people helping out by passing on our knowledge before we retire. In the meantime we will cooperate by using our 'grandfather rights' to certify electrical work. Yet another twist to the joke that is engineering in Britain. In the USA and the rest of Europe, employers spend an average 3% of annual turnover on training. In Britain our employers spend less than 0.15% of annual turnover on training! That is why the Scandinavians are able to convert directly to JAR 66 and that is why JAR 66 could become a safety hazard in UK.
I'm no Luddite. Maintenance engineering needs to keep up with the times and the changes in the way aircraft are designed and built. But it is essential that full and proper training is carried out by the airlines. As usual in UK, the individual is left to do his own training with nothing but book learning and good luck. It's about time that British employers and the UKCAA got off their backsides and did some proper training so they can remain competitive. In fact a bit of management training wouldn't go amiss...
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Through difficulties to the cinema