I'm extremely flattered that anybody thinks that I could teach a BEng solo - seriously I doubt that anybody could do that, at best a capable and current professional or academic (I hope I'm one of those but others may differ) could probably manage 1/2 to 2/3 with enough resources the rest would have to come from other sources.
Seriously, what I'm looking at is working with an existing University (I'd rather not name whom I'm talking to, but they are amongst the big-name UK Engineering campusses) and using their facilities. (To get accreditation for a degree, this is pretty much essential regardless).
My idea is to try and persuade a university to offer a distance degree, using existing course material (probably with a lot of video'd / recorded lectures added in) taking students through the initial basics of the degree course - maths, structures, thermodynamics, electronics, fluid mechanics, design priciples, drafting, etc. Some time on campus would be needed - experiments are essential and some lab equipment that you'd need to spend time on is never going to be mobile. Once the core is got through, specialist courses (such as helicopter flight or flight-test, which would certainly fall in that category) could be pursued under more individual tutelage.
The other essential part of the BEng - project work, would have to be fairly remotely supervised, but might prove the most exciting bit of all for the participants.
That's what I'd like to do anyway - as I've said, a keen student is likely to take 6+ years and £12,000+ but my opinion is it would be worthwhile.
Question is, how much call is there? Realistically, to persuade a university to run and continue a course of that nature, one would probably have to deliver a minimum of 50 students per year for them to feel there was any point in it.
Your point about a MechEng degree is interesting, and probably all my biasses about an aero-degree apply there also. The Open University (a UK state sponsored distance learning university) does offer a general engineering degree which you could almost certainly construct as a MechEng course - but wouldn't be stated as such. (Incidentally, I got my Mechanical CEng, equivalent to the US professional Engineers' licence on the back of an Aero-Eng rather than a mechanical batchelor's degree).
G