Good post Spanner Turner. It reminds me of an old boss (Aircrew Wg Cdr) from one of the Sqn's during my Air Force days. He would regularly put on a pair of overalls and muck in just to see how the other half lived and the type of problems we used to encounter. I had the utmost respect for that man but unfortunately folk like him were few and far between.
I have spent many an hour in the flight deck as flying spanner on long boring flights. Numerous times I have been grilled by the drivers on my level of knowledge of the aircraft and its systems with a view to them increasing their own understanding. Some of them are pleasantly surprised to find out that Engineers hold multiple type ratings with many different engine variants. Unlike them, it is not simply a case of knowing one type of aeroplane.
One thing this thread has highlighted is the respect we as Engineers have for the Pilots. Not one single post on here has stated that the person in question is at fault, in fact we have all defended him to some degree or another. Unfortunately it is a shame that this respect is often not reciprocated. An "Engineer Fails Pilot Exam" thread in the flight deck forum might not get quite the same response.