Genghis,
I have been a Licensed Engineer with multiple UK and Australian endorsements for some years now. I am also a MRAeS and IEng. As JAR 66 loomed I duly converted my UK Licence. On contacting IMechE to enquire about membership, I was told that despite being a Licensed Aircraft Engineer, a senior manager within a large maintenance organisation, MRAes and I Eng and with 30 years in the industry, I was not qualified to join IMechE as I did not have a degree.
Please note that there are no sour grapes on my part (too old for that sort of thing now). We should continue to promote the position of the Licensed Aircraft Engineer so that the word 'Engineer' associated with the role actually reflects the position and the level of responsibility. I believe that the RAeS, Engineering Council and IMechE are potential vehicles to do so. I also realise that some of the afore mentioned institutions have already made considerable steps to do so.
I was therefore saddened to see that after all the years of experience and the level of qualifications, I was not considered suitable for IMechE, unlike a person fresh from university with the ink on his dergree still wet who is welcomed into such a fraternity almost straight away. Why then should we wonder when some folks in the industry are disillusioned with the so called 'professional societies' when such things occur.
By the way I voted yes to your poll
It's good to talk,
Tempsford
Last edited by Tempsford; 8th March 2003 at 16:20.