Ingenieur Vol.81 January-March 2020 | Page 12

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