I was one of the senior engineers on the Airbus A380 wing. I helped to develop the concept. We won the Royal Aeronautical Society Team Gold Medal in 2005 and were finalists for the MacRobert Award in 2006. It was quite a journey!
David Tighe, Bristol
During my 30-year career in the overhead crane industry, the business sold 4,000 cranes to my standard designs – not a bad contribution to British industry.
Adrian Roper, Loughborough, Leics
I’d say making the transition from mostly being an engineer to mostly being a manager, with no formal training in business, politics and human relations. Lawyer, diplomat, negotiator, mediator, agony uncle – rather than engineer – would all have more accurately described my job scope as I progressed to more senior roles. And I have loved it all.
Charles Melton, Brighton
The winning of a large export contract for two offshore oil and gas platforms in Malaysia, against fierce competition, for multiple gas turbine-driven reciprocating and centrifugal compressors in the early 1980s has to feature among the most significant and enjoyable periods of my career.
Herman Ruijsenaars, Lincoln
I haven’t invented anything radical or created something that people will admire for years to come – but I have enjoyed my work and provided for my family. That is my real achievement.
Clive Newell, Belfast
Managing recently to not only remember but also use some of the basic moment theory I hadn’t had any reason to think about in the 40 years since I got my degree. Could it be I’ll get to use my thermodynamics theory before I retire for good? Units might be a problem.
Taran Hewitt, Bedford
My greatest achievement was the delivery of a very high-value, low-volume project that was secret during its lifetime and is still secret. If I told you I would have to shoot you afterwards. But this project, along with a small number of others, kept a famous-name company alive and the name is still with us today.
Matthew Waterhouse, Tarporley
I was appointed by the Barbados National Trust to design repairs to be made to the Morgan Lewis windmill following a devastating lightning strike. This is the last working windmill on Barbados and is a Unesco World Heritage Site with the mill appearing on the back of the Barbados 25c coin.
Ken Hume, Basingstoke, Hampshire
Aged 55, I have experienced countries including Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Iran. My achievement is to be as amazed and challenged as I was when I started out at pump systems maker Mather & Platt.
Tony Kenyon, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire
Coming to work this morning, 41 years of employment in engineering. I will not pretend every day was fun, many were downright boring, but most provided interest and challenges of all types. And I got paid.
Michael Hudson, Lincoln
Encouraging several young people (including one of my sons) to study engineering so that the next generation have professionally qualified engineers in their midst.
Paul Harper, Glen Vine, Isle of Man
My greatest achievement is that 30-plus years after graduating I am still an engineer and still enjoying it, even though successive governments have done their best to destroy productive industry in favour of financial services.
Robin Heels, Steyning, W Sussex
Being able to follow the ethos that “I work to live” and not the other way around. Engineering has given me that opportunity and it is pretty fundamental in contributing to the challenges we have in the future.
Mark Blowers, Leatherhead
In 35 years as an engineer I have done one or two things which I believe have made a difference in their own small way. But my greatest achievement has surely been to keep the desire and energy to challenge poor decisions and bad management using the objectivity that comes with being an engineer – an attribute which many other professions seem to lack.
Jeff Bulled, Lidlington, Bedfordshire
In the Royal Navy, helping to maintain the national deterrent continuously at sea for significant periods during the Cold War as a marine engineer officer. In the oil and gas business: as a project director, being responsible for the engineering design, procurement and construction of major gas processing facilities in Norway upon which Europe and UK may rely for security of supply during the next few decades.
Chris Lowther, Alton, Hants
My greatest achievement is the enjoyment and satisfaction I have had in designing, breaking (sometimes), making things function more efficiently and adding value occasionally for the benefit of the companies that I have worked for.
Colin Sanderson, Stonehaven
Becoming a system safety engineer on a number of projects and knowing that someone somewhere in the world today wouldn’t still be alive if I hadn’t done my job properly. Knowing my luck, though, you’d probably find that person turned out to be a murderer!
Chris Harding, Salisbury, Wilts
Staying in engineering and not getting sidetracked to any other field!
Alison Owen, Leeds