This is the saddest post I have ever seen on this forum. It is so beyond comprehension that I'm speechless. I thought Mother Teresa was dead.Originally Posted by wallda
This is the saddest post I have ever seen on this forum. It is so beyond comprehension that I'm speechless. I thought Mother Teresa was dead.
Agreed... I think the communication, or lack thereof, and the way this was presented to the membership is, frankly, the bigger concern for me... it is all too reminiscent of how things were done four years ago. If the process and mindset from that period is still in place, the issue goes beyond this particular event. The letter accompanying the policy was condescending, and the way this policy was/is being presented feels like something being slid under the door in the middle of the night.
Jim
I think this whole affair shows that management at all levels either does not care what the membership thinks about how this organization is run, or they are completely out of touch with the rest of us. What a shame. They need to get out of thier comfy offices and get back to the grass roots with the members. I wonder when was the last time the top dogs flew in a Cherokee instead of a jet ????.
I agree the SS number is way too far. I just had a background check for the sate of La. so why can't the EAA used one completed by the La State Police vs compromising my SS number for another check a lawyer said you need to CYA
The EAA still hasn't explained WHO is getting our information. It's pretty obvious it is NOT AmericanChecked. If there was a shred of transparency other than misdirection and lies here, I'd feel better. Nobody has answered this forum or emails I've sent to the EAA asking for clarification.
Yes. Completely out of touch. While I probably shouldn't, I always find it surprising when I see every month in Sport Aviation's "Who's Who at HQ", the person interviewed usually has no experience, knowledge or contact with pilots, planes or aviation prior to their hiring and indoctrination at EAA. Is it a wonder that the folks at HQ seem so clueless about pilots, planes, airplane builders, and aviation in general? While knowing something about aviation shouldn't necessarily be a prerequisite for hire, it should be high on the list of desired attributes when hiring for an organization that is supposed to be about aviation, and should be a prerequisite for middle and upper managers. Not to pick on the young lady in this months SA, but this quote from the article stands out to me and seems to be typical. "I had never been exposed to general aviation before starting at EAA."
Sorry for the thread drift. I'll get back to heating the tar and plucking the chickens.
-Cub Builder
Last edited by cub builder; 01-28-2016 at 10:12 AM.
I appears as though the requirement to submit Social Security Number has been dropped. If this was a major sticking point for many EAA volunteers, I urge you to now go forward and submit your background check information. Please do not let people with an obvious anti-EAA agenda ruin Young Eagles. If enough people comply, we can get through this.
One issue that I have failed to see in any of the responses is how the chapter would police this new policy? The new policy applies to Young Eagle events, and any other event where the youth are involved. Applies to pilots, non-pilots and all ground personnel. Will the EAA supply the chapter a list of those vetted? Seems to me, if the chapter fails to ensure all have submitted to the background check, the chapter becomes liable. The EAA not so much so, as a program has been implemented that mandates participation. A twisted mind will certainly not tell the truth if asked if they he/she has been vetted.
In post #229 of this thread, I attached a sample of what a completion certificate showing proof of compliance looks like. So, there is a way to check if someone is lying or not. I hope people are not going to nit-pick this to death. I do not see the Youth Protection program going away. I hope most Young Eagles volunteers will comply, particularly in my local chapter, and I want a special Young Eagles event coming up in late May, 2016, to be a success.
I am surprised at the number of people on this forum, representing chapters all over the U.S., dumping their YE programs over this. I am also amazed that on the poll, more than 20 percent refuse to comply with ANY background check or youth protection program. Yes, the rules are imperfect, but I think manageable. And, it's for the protection of the kids we fly.
I would strongly object if EAA dropped a youth protection program entirely.
There is absolutely no rush to do anything right now. We will hear from Oshkosh on these issues. As Glory stated, and from what I hear elsewhere, all the comments here are being read, discussed and interpreted. It would be nice if we got a statement like that officially from up the chain. I'm sure it would belay a lot of the concern expressed here and elsewhere.
EAA is not the simple club it used to be, it is now a corporation and moves at a corporation's pace. We need to recognize that.
John Smutny
Life is not a journey to the grave intending of arriving safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, used up, worn out, and loudly proclaiming: Damn, what a ride!
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