this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2024
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Fuck Cars
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Your hub for collection of materials that contribute to a world with less car ownership. Including buses, motorcycles, bicycles, skateboards, longboards, scooters, hoverboards, e-scooters, pedestrians, walking, running
Community can decide if: truck have a place here.
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There are no PEs signing off on "consumer products," or even little things like airplanes.
(Seriously, PEs are only relevant in engineering fields where design is easily governed by standards, such as HVAC and civil.)
There are absolutely engineers (with or without PE licenses, I'm not sure if that's necessary in aerospace) signing off on airplanes, even after they're built. For a mechanic to make a major modification or repair to an airframe or power plant it needs to be approved somehow, either covered by the airplane's original Type Certificate and detailed in the maintenance manual, covered in a supplemental type certificate (STC), or they can work with an aeronautical engineer to design and approve the repair. I have forgotten the exact line between "you can get an A&P IA to approve this skin patch plate" and "You need to either call an AE to design a repair for this but it might be cheaper to buy a whole wing."
I have a degree in aeronautical engineering, but I'm not a PE. It's a very specific license in the US that isn't applicable outside of a few engineering disciplines. There are no statutory requirements for a PE to sign off on a car or plane design; their safety is governed by other means.