woptb
You are correct.
As a non native english speaker i agree, english speaking people might have an advantage, in understanding what is written.
But one´s mechanical understanding does not have anything to do with whether your british, finnish, polish or any other nationality.
The culture you grow up in on the other hand definitely has an influence in the way you approach things, and perceive as correct, and/or orderly.
Hence the fact that mr.winglit probably has not written "western europe" in his thread.
I would have a hard time imagining the Germans, the Austrians, the Swiss, and the Scandinavians just to mention a few, as having subpar standards to the british.
And he is quite correct in using past tense albeit in brackets as well, in regards to the comment about british aviation history. I think a lot of countries have caught up and in many cases surpassed said country in aviation manufacturing, and this even by countries with supposedly inferior qualifications and standards.