Question: If you check Military Aircraft for Safety Risks - Does that mean you are a Royal Engineer? I ask you this as my Great Granddad was a Royal Engineer and I would like to know more about what he would of likely to of done. He served in World War 1 in the Wessex Regiment but would he of applied the same critical thinking to his projects like you or would it of been different?

Pete Symons answered on 19 Mar 2015:

Hi Adam,

I’m not a Royal Engineer. The Royal Engineers are part of the Army and are employed by the Government (like everyone else serving in the armed forces). I work for a private company (Osprey) who works with the Ministry of Defence to support the Government and Industry in buying, designing and manufacturing equipment for the like of the Royal Engineers to use.

For example, have you ever seen the Armoured Vehicle Launch Bridge? (look it up on google, its cool) Its a bit of kit to help build bridges and cross ravines etc. I would support the Ministry of Defence design of the bridge builder to make sire it was safe to use. Your Granddadd would then be one of the guys using it, the Royal Engineers would use critical thinking and engineering to judge the loads of the bridge and maximum loads on the bridge, the best place to put to prevent, the bridge and everyone on it falling in to the ravine.

So in answer to your question he would have applied similar critical thinking but arguabley your granddad made far more important decisions about the safety and life of other than I ever would!

I hope this helps