INGENIEUR
2017 led by Professor Dato’ Ir. Hassan Basri. The
acceptance as “equivalency” for registration did
not occur overnight, although there was already a
precedence in the UK for professional registration
of AME professionals. The BEM decided to set
up a task force to study the AML professional
qualifications.
A BEM task force was formed and conducted
a thorough study taking into consideration
the provisions and requirements under the
Washington Accord, the Sydney Accord and the
Dublin Accord and mapping them against the
requirements of CAAM Airworthiness Notices
(AN). Though these accords are educational
standards for Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL)
undergraduate students, it was acknowledged that
these accords do not claim to be superior to other
accords. The Registration of Engineers Act (REA)
1967 with the 2015 amendment also empowers
BEM to conduct studies on related qualification
systems for acceptance and recognition in other
professional engineering fields. The acceptance for
registration of AML qualifications complies with the
Registration of Engineers Act 1967 (Amendment
2015). The registration also means that in the
future AME professionals will be able to pursue the
higher professional status of a BEM Professional
Engineer which is commonly known as “Ir.” It
must be made clear that the aircraft engineering
and maintenance certification practices of the
licenced aircraft maintenance engineer (LAME)
is under the complete jurisdiction of CAAM under
the Civil Aviation Act and the current Malaysian
Civil Aviation Regulations (MCAR). The registration
at BEM is primarily for the professional code
of conduct and ethics as well as continuous
professional development. BEM does not interfere
with nor contradict CAAM governance of the LAME
professional practice certification processes. In
reality, LAME registration at BEM complements
and enhances CAAM LAME professionalism.
Origin of Aircraft Maintenance
Engineering Profession
There is a saying that the pilot takes care of the
passengers of an aircraft but the LAME takes care
of both the pilots and passengers on an aircraft.
In order to understand the LAME profession
and how it has grown to a profession with a
highly professional and responsible function,
we need to go back in history to see the birth
of the LAME profession. It all started in the year
1944 before our country’s independence. On
December 7, 1944, a total of 52 national high
level Government representatives convened
in Chicago to witness the historic birth of the
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
This congregation was popularly known as the
Chicago Convention 1944. ICAO is a specialised
agency under the United Nations (UN) responsible
for coordinating and regulating matters related
to international air travel. ICAO established rules
known as the ICAO annexes which contracting
states (including Malaysia) need to comply with
in order to be recognised as being in compliance
with ICAO standards. There are 19 annexes
containing standards and recommended practices
established as shown in Figure 1.
The LAME profession is governed by the
requirements of Annex 1. Today, Annex 1
contains provisions for ICAO contracting states (a
total of 192 countries) to regulate the licencing of
aircraft engineering and maintenance personnel
performing the airworthiness certification for
aircraft. It is a very strict and well-structured
system regulating the curriculum, training,
qualifications and certification of aircraft
engineering and maintenance practitioners for
many years resulting in high safety standards
of airworthiness in the global civil aviation
industry. The scope and functions of a LAME
requires the individual’s education and training
to cover aircraft engineering and aircraft
maintenance. Annex 1 chapter 4.2 provides the
scope and definition of aircraft engineering and
maintenance as follows:
AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING – Characteristics
and applications of the materials of aircraft
construction including principles of construction
and functioning of aircraft structures, fastening
techniques; engines and their associated systems;
mechanical, fluid, electrical and electronic power
sources; aircraft instrument and display systems;
aircraft control systems; and airborne navigation
and communication systems; and
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE – tasks required
to ensure the continuing airworthiness of an
aircraft including methods and procedures for
10 VOL 81 JANUARY-MARCH 2020