I retired as an Avionics Engineer in 2005 after 35 years in the business both at the pointy end and in the servicing bay. I have to admit that I knew nothing about this legislation until I saw this thread, but my initial reaction is one of horror.
All of those in this business know the old adage; If it ain't broke don't fix it...
So how long can the interfering bean counters in Brussels continue to screw things up.
Here's a question for you, tongue in cheek but with a degree of seriousness...is there an example of Lead Free Solder technology failure now lying beneath the Atlantic off the coast of Brazil?
From earlier comments in this thread the technology is not as resilient as conventional solder; unfortunately we may never know...