Roles and responsibilities of the Licensed Aeronautical Ground Engineers of the British Empire circa 1919 - 1960.

Aeronautical Ground Engineers or "Ground Engineers" were persons licensed by the Secretary of State for Air of the British Empire with the specific task of Aircraft Safety Inspection and certification to that effect.



Five (5) types of Ground Engineer Licenses were issued, identified using a Letter system of categories:



Ground Engineer category "A" License: Inspection and Certification of Aircraft before Flight / Minor repairs / Minor modifications.



Ground Engineer category "B" License: Inspection and Certification of Aircraft during Manufacture and after Overhaul / Major repairs / Major modifications.



Ground Engineer category "C" License: Inspection and Certification of Aero-Engines before Flight / Minor repairs / Minor modifications.



Ground Engineer category "D" License: Inspection and Certification of Engines during Manufacture and after Overhaul / Major repairs / Major modifications.



Ground Engineer category "X" License: Inspection and Certification of Electrical and Wireless Equipment of Aircraft.
Notes

Aeronautical Ground Engineers or simply "Ground Engineers" (1919 -1952)
were specially trained and educated in aeronautics at a BritishTechnical Institute (known as a University today) and once having completed their "Apprenticeship in the Trade" performing Inspection duties as a "candidate Engineer" under the supervision of a Licensed Ground Engineer, they were subsequently examined by the Air Ministry A.I.D - Technical department and if found acceptable, licensed by the British Government as being qualified to inspect and to certify the mechanical systems and the structural airworthiness of an aircraft of the period.

An excellent pre-requisite for becoming a "Licensed Ground Engineer" was to posess a British Trades Board certificate as a "competent journeyman mechanic" after having completed their apprenticeship in the trade and passed the required oral, practical and theoretical testing by a Board of Trade examiner. By the mid 1920's this testing and the issuance of the certificate of competency for Aircraft Trades persons was being undertaken by the Air Ministry.

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Subject: Some information on "Licensed Aircraft Engineers" of the British Empire - Aeronautical Ground Engineers.
Aeronautical Ground Engineers (1919 -1952)
were specially trained and educated in aeronautics at a BritishTechnical Institute (known as Universities today) and once having completed their "Apprenticeship in the Trade" performing the duties of an Engineer under supervision of another Ground Engineer, they were subsequently examined and if found acceptable, licensed by the British Government as being qualified to inspect and to certify the mechanical systems and the structural airworthiness of an aircraft of the period.

An excellent pre-requisite for becoming a "Licensed Ground Engineer" was to posess a British Trades Board certificate as a "competent journeyman mechanic" after having completed their apprenticeship in the trade and passed the required oral, practical and theoretical testing by a Board of Trade examiner. By the mid 1920's this testing and the issuance of the certificate of competency for Aircraft Trades persons was being undertaken by the Air Ministry.

"Ground Engineers" were licensed by the Secretary of State for Air of the British Empire with the specific task of Aircraft Safety Inspection and certification to that effect.

Five (5) types of Ground Engineer Licenses were issued, identified using a Letter system of categories:

Ground Engineer category "A" License: Inspection and Certification of Aircraft before Flight / Minor repairs / Minor modifications.

Ground Engineer category "B" License: Inspection and Certification of Aircraft during Manufacture and after Overhaul / Major repairs / Major modifications.

Ground Engineer category "C" License: Inspection and Certification of Aero-Engines before Flight / Minor repairs / Minor modifications.

Ground Engineer category "D" License: Inspection and Certification of Engines during Manufacture and after Overhaul / Major repairs / Major modifications.

Ground Engineer category "X" License: Inspection and Certification of Electrical and Wireless Equipment of Aircraft.

Many training course textbooks for Ground Engineers were published, some are still available today such as "A Complete Course for Ground Engineers' A,B,C,D & X Licences" by the New Era publishing Co, London UK, with a forward by Mr. H. Haselden Lewi of the UK Air Registration Board. This 760 page textbook - which can still be found in antique bookshops and ocassionally on AMAZON - contains sections on the following :

'A' License - 'The Rigging, Maintenance and Inspection of Aircraft' by W.J.C Speller, A.F.R.Ae.S, UK-A.I.D

'B' License - 'Inspection of Aircraft after Overhaul' by S.J. Norton, Assoc. M.inst.C.E & A.F.R.Ae.S

'C' License - 'Aero-Engines : Inspection of, Before Flight'

Part I - ' 'Aero-Engines : Inspection of, Before Flight' by R.F. Barlowe

Part II - 'The Law relating to Civil Aviation' by A. McIsaac

'D' License - 'Inspection of Aero-Engines after Overhaul'

'X' License - 'Electrical and Wireless Equipment of Aircraft' : Including the repair, overhaul and testing of Magnetos by S.G. Bybrow, A.M.I.E.E & A.M.I.M.E

'X' License - 'Instruments' : Repair, overhaul, testing and calibration of Aircraft and Aero-Engine instruments : Adjustment, Installation and Compensation of Compasses in Aircraft by R.W. Sloley, M.A - Cambridge, B.SC.- London university & Mr. C.E Dodge (sec. 8, App'x 'X' & Diagrams)

Additional Government and Air Ministry Official Publications (A.P.) references incorporated by reference in this textbook that were required to be posessed by all candidate "Ground Engineers" include:

the United Kingdom - British Air Navigation Act (as ammended)

the United Kingdom - British Air Navigation Order (as ammended)

the United Kingdom Interpretation Act, 1889 for the purpose of interpretation of "The Air Navigation Order" as "an Act of Parliament" of the United Kingdom.

A good companion reference to the Interpretation Act, 1889 is "A treatise on statute law : with appendices containing statutory and judicial definitions of certain words and expressions used in statutes, popular and short titles of statutes, and the Interpretation Act, 1889" (can be found on Archive.org)

The Air Navigation Directions (A.N.D)

The Metropolitan Traffic Manual : containing the law relating to road, river and air traffic in London and elsewhere. (can be found on Archive.org)

British Government Statutory Rules & Orders - as applicable.

British Air Ministry Pamphlet No. 34 - Instructions to Applicants for Ground Engineers Licenses & Syllabus of Examinations. (Can be found on Archive.org - search for "Duties of Licensed Ground Engineers")

the British Air Service Handbook

British Air Ministry Publication No.1208 (A.P. No. 1208 ) - Airworthiness Handbook for CIVIL Aviation Vol. 1 "Design section " & Vol. 2 "Inspection section"

British Air Ministry Publication No.1275 (A.P. No. 1275) - General Instrument Equipment for aircraft

British Air Ministry - Department of Technical Development (D.T.D.) specifications.

Re: Certificates of Safety:
Aeronautical Ground Engineers were authorised to issue "Certificates of Safety"

The "Statement" or "Certification" made for a Certificate of Safety for Flight (Extract from the Air Navigation Directions) made by a Ground Engineer holding an "A" License before the first flight of the day. (known as a Daily Certificate)

I HEREBY CERTIFY that I have this day inspected the above aircraft (including its instruments and equipment but exclusive of the engine(s) and engine installation and of the instruments relating thereto) and that I am satisfied that it is safe in every way for flight, provided that the conditions of loading specified in the certificate of airworthiness are complied with. The time this inspection was completed was at ________hours (24 hr clock). Signed by:__________________ Ground Engineer "A" License No. __________ Date: _______________ Time: ___________hrs (24 hr clock)

The Modern British based AME arose from the the British Aerial Navigation Act of 1919 (can be found on Archive.org) and the Regulations issued by its authority. These were "Internal" or "National" regulations and orders for aircraft and airworthiness which preceded the signing of the International Convention on Aerial Navigation which dealt specifically with cross-border flying of foreign aircraft among the signing members.

An excellent reference for British aviation and aeronautics history of the period from pre 1900 to 1921 is found in the 1922 edition of the "The Encyclopaedia Britannica" - which can be found on Archive.org.

The British Aerial Navigation Act of 1920:

1) asserted absolute sovereignty over all parts of His Majesty's Kingdom, incuding the dominions and adjacent waters.

2) provided for the application of the International Convention by Order in Council to internal flying.

3) provided for the regulation of civil flying and the supplementing of the Convention, as necessary, by general safety regulations.

Both the British Aerial Navigation regulations of 1919 and 1920 detailed the requirements for the Airworthiness of Aircraft registered within the whole of the British Empire.

In order that an aircraft may receive a certificate of airworthiness:

its design, including the design of its components, must be approved as satisfying the requirements of safety in regard to both strength and stability
it must be constructed of approved materials and by workmanship of approved quality and
its engine must be approved.

In order that such certificate of airworthiness may be valid on any particular occasion, the aircraft must:
be examined before flight and be periodically overhauled by a competent person duly licensed
be so loaded that its total weight does not exceed a given maximum, and its centre of gravity must be situated within certain given limits.

If the application for a certificate of airworthiness is in respect of a type aircraft, the inspection was carried out by representatives of the Aeronautical Inspection Directorate, and, in addition, drawings and particulars were required to be furnished to the Director of Research, as will enable him to approve the design.

In the case of subsequent aircraft constructed by a firm whose inspection is approved, sole responsibility lies with the Aeronautical Research Directorate, the constructor insuring that the conditions governing the inspection of type aircraft are applied to subsequent aircraft.

A certificate of airworthiness of an aircraft registered within the British Empire is not valid unless the aircraft concerned was regularly inspected by a licensed "aeronautical ground engineer".