Querry About Engineer title in Aeronautical Industry

[crashing1234]

I am a new member at this forum. Graduated July 2011 in aeronautical Engineering(MEng). I am hoping you can shed some light into my query about getting chartered in the aeronautial industry.

I am aware that there are different engineers title available on the market. Specifically, there are 3 similar ones:

1. Chartered Engineer with Royal Aeronautical Society or with Washington Accord Signatories.

2. Category B1, B2 & B3 - Line Maintenance Certifying Engineer (Mechanical, Avionic or simple Light aeroplane) with EASA PART66

3. Category C – Base Maintenance Certifying Engineer with EASA PART66



I am confused about the nature, equivalence and the prospect of the 3 engineer titles. My question are as follows:

1. In terms of the recognition by company and countries of the title, what is the coverage of them?

2. In terms of careers path and prospective, what do they offer?

3. Am I entitled to obtain both engineer status with RAeS and with the EASA PART66?

4. What is the best or recommended title status to pursue with the qualification of MEng in Aeronautical Engineer?


The answer in this area might not be readily available on the internet or with the institutions. Therefore, I am hoping you guys can tell me about any information and advice on this matter!

[Beeline]

First of all congratulations on gaining your MEng.

Speaking from the Aircraft Maintenance side here in the UK, status does not account for much. The keyword is experience.

Your path can diverse into a graduate scheme learning a Technical support role or with your masters/degree obtain some credits to gain for a Cat 'B' licence.

To be taken seriously in each role respect must earned from experience.

Unfortunately the industry here in the uk is full of fast tracked types who are not doing the time on the shop floor. Its great being able to work out the volume of and available contents of a jam jar but no common sense on how to open it.

Best of Luck

[crashing1234]

Thank you Beeline for your reply and advice. So am I correct to say that within the operation side of civil aircrafts. It is more important to have experience then status or acadamic background?

What about the design and manufacturing side of the industry, e.g. Rolls Royce, Boeing or Airbus? What do those companies look for in terms of candidate's degree, experience or qualifications?

[Genghis the Engineer]

The term Engineeer itself is problematic and different organisations and countries use it in different ways.

ECUK - the United Kingdom Engineering Council essentially recognises three flavours of Engineer:

(1) CEng, built upon MEng (or BEng + MSc) + 2 years further training + 2 years responsibility. This also aligns with the European Eur.Ing. qualification.

(2) IEng, built upon BEng + 2 + 2, or self certifying professional licences and substial experience.

(3) EngTech, essentially built upon an apprenticeship and limited college work, plus moderate years of responsibility.


At every level, it's possible to trade academics for experience - at CEng a PhD gets you off 1 of the 2 years of further responsibility, or if you have 10+ years of senior level experience, you can pretty much live without the academics. And so-on.

None of this however is about a licence to practice in any given job: it is about overall status within the profession. Various licences to practice (LAME, part 66, part 147....) sit alongside this, but to a large extent the two routes are separate and independent of each other.

So, you can have a senior engineer with many licences, but no degree and no CEng, and in the next office a senior engineer with no licences, but a couple of degrees and a CEng. But as has already been said, neither is going to hold that senior job down without a lot of relevant experience.

Some jobs however do need particular tickets. You aren't going to sign off safety critical aircraft maintenance without a licence, nor high level research reports without a PhD - for example.

It does all make your progression in the Engineering profession quite individual. As an MEng graduate (and well done on that by the way) you should probably be looking to a graduate training scheme and aiming for CEng -but whether that's in maintenance management, design, research... ... will depend upon your career aspirations and opportunity. Generally your MEng will be enough academically to get you on a graduate training scheme somewhere like RR or BAeS - after that it's about your personal attributes. Aside from that however, do look at smaller companies where you might well get much more breadth of experience.

I really wouldn't look at maintenance licences unless you really want to start your education from scratch again - that training has virtually no crossover or cross-credit from your MEng.

G

[crashing1234]

Hey Genghis the Engineer,
I want to thank you for your most kind advice and insightful information on engineer status. Just want to stress that due to the economic down turn, I am having some draw backs in getting graduate Aeronautical engineering trainee jobs in UK. I do have a second choice in terms of which county i work in. This is the reason i am looking at different things apart from the CEng route. After taking your advice, I am now clear that i will choose to take the CEng route.
I have just reallised getting a graduate engineering trainee in HK is not that easy. I am looking at the aircraft maintenance company called HAECO in HK and see if they have the relevent CEng opennings.

Will you guys know the details or and any info on getting CEng status about aircraft maintenance? what sort of skill and experience coverage i will need?

Crashing

[Genghis the Engineer]

You won't get to CEng through working as a maintenance engineer - but you may through working in maintenance planning, management, and analysis. That, to be honest, is a more appropriate use of the 4 years education you've already done than starting from scratch again.

The basic principles are the same - expect to need a couple of years further training to come up to speed, then a couple more years after that at working professional level.

G

[Rigga]

HAECO has its own Design and Engineering Departments, so I think if you can get into there as a Graduate, you could do quite well.

Most of all, in whatever job you go for, make sure you enjoy the new and mainly practical learning phases.