nice castle:
...or was he cogniscent of the fact that it would end his career?
In the more general arena that is, of course, the dilemma of everyone who is prevailed upon to lie, steal, and cheat by their superiors. No matter how it is dressed up that is the ultimate decision one has to make, and when the result of doing so is often to leave whole fleets unairworthy or fatal accidents improperly investigated then the cost can later be measured in lives lost. That is why the default reaction of doing what you are told and keeping quiet is not only morally wrong but criminally so as well. It should not be left to the MAA to spell out the personal consequences of improperly signing off work known to be not in compliance with the Regulations, it should be anathema to anyone declaring themselves to be aviation professionals. That latter term would appear to exclude the MOD, the RAF High Command, the RAeS, and quite possibly the MAA itself.