I guess we all rather see what we want to see in these pages, JP, but I find a lot of what tuc has posted confirmed in Old Duffer's post. He admits to not being an AS Eng, and notes the "bigotry" that his appointment caused when made IPT boss but also tells us he had the good fortune to have an Eng 2* who assisted him in assuming airworthiness responsibility. His story both confirms what tuc has told us, that Engs were gradually removed from such key positions, being replaced by non airworthiness qualified officers (often suppliers), and shows how these changes varied from IPT to IPT (in this case greatly mollified by the attitude and expertise of his Eng 2*). Nonetheless I would say that his account displays the trend of what was happening, where a non-Eng boss had Responsibility for airworthiness but a subordinate Eng the Authority. I wonder what would have happened if that IPT had faced the savage cuts that other (non FJ ones?) suffered. Would responsibility have deferred to authority or pushed through the required savings at the cost of airworthiness as happened elsewhere?