Wokawoka,
in a way I agree with you BUT, a Military Engineer is a different kettle of fish, this might sound stupid but let me explain, I know they have now gone dual trade SAC Tech, ( and not before time ) though as I believe this simply covers Airframes / Engines. A Civi Licenced Engineer (LAE) will be expected to cover Instruments, Compasses and Electrics and basic Radios on top of that, add to that a totally different legislation culture and methodology and you will find it is not all so straight fwd, I believe the Credits that used to exist from the CAA are no longer so extensive under EASA...
The legislation side of it is the main gotcha, though Service training is what it is, targeted at a small concise area, giving expertise in a small period of time on a narrow front, where the Civilian side expands that, as an example, an SAC Tech, JT, Corporal, Sgt etc will these days tend to be Specialised on a type, say Merlin, Chinook, Typhoon, Herc etc and will unlike in the past swop about and gain a broader experience during their careers, myself I did Wessex, Puma, Jaguar and VC 10 so got a wider experience of types, this I believe no longer seems to be the case.
Additionally as a Civilian my skill base has expanded to include major repairs such as rebuilding and even Spar replacements, something the services would farm out to specialised teams, Airlines tend to do this but not always. I also issue Arcs, which is in effect the aircraft Certificate of Airworthiness with no imput by the CAA bar sending a signed copy of the form and a fee, a job an Engineering Officer probably would possibly do in the Services.
My licences literally has hundreds of types and engine configurations / makes on it, so you are expected to be able to adapt from one to the next...
I personally think the Services are getting a gross injustice in the conversion of their skills these days and that is wrong, and should be addressed, I also thought when I left the RAF I to should have my licences given to me, but realised whilst studying for them why this had not happened.
Last edited by NutLoose; 23rd Jun 2012 at 22:17.