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Thread: Young Eagles and the Pilot Protection Policy

  1. #1
    Jim Heffelfinger's Avatar
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    Young Eagles and the Pilot Protection Policy

    Well, It's be a few years and all those pilots who were going to leave YE flight programs if not the EAA - what happened ?? Did we see a huge loss in pilots and volunteer staff? Are the flight numbers down?
    There were thousands of comments and some serious heartburn at the time.......

  2. #2
    FlyingRon's Avatar
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    They did backtrack on some of the great security holes for pilots in the system (I don't know who at the EAA got the kickback from the corrupt background check firm they used, but they should be fired for that selection).

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    gbrasch's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FlyingRon View Post
    (I don't know who at the EAA got the kickback from the corrupt background check firm they used, but they should be fired for that selection).
    What is that story all about?
    Glenn Brasch
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    Quote Originally Posted by FlyingRon View Post
    I don't know who at the EAA got the kickback from the corrupt background check firm they used, but they should be fired for that selection).
    I remember this issue very well and the overwhelming criticism and backlash from members it created. I remember that numerous details of this very unpopular program were changed because when initially launched by EAA it was so poorly executed and thought out to the point that YE could be destroyed. I remember that not enough was changed so much angst, anger and expressions of future non-participation were loudly communicated.

    I remember the background check company being totally inept, careless, unprofessional and reckless but I don't remember charges of corruption. Ron, please tweek my memory, thanks.

  5. #5
    FlyingRon's Avatar
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    You had to take a course. Fine.
    They wanted you to submit your personal information for a background check. Alas, there were all sorts of red flags that came up. First, the site you were redirected to was NOT the one who was advertised as doing the background check by the EAA.
    Second, the site you ended up on, had forged SSL certificates. Damned if I was going to type even my name into such a security hole. And the EAA stonewalled questions about the whole thing. Left a lot of people a bit upset.

  6. #6
    Jim Heffelfinger's Avatar
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    Okay, I'm not wanting to rehash the event - it had issues. I just want to know if it really did kill the numbers or was it a bad few weeks and in the new season people moved on with the program. I just spoke with Kyle at the CCA show - helping to man the EAA Trailer. ( BTW - a great resource ). He did not have numbers.....

  7. #7
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    All I know is what I have personally observed. Our chapter's YE activity does not seem to have been impacted at all. Many of us didn't like the new requirements, and I didn't do the background check until they fixed some of the more ridiculous aspects. I don't know for sure, but it doesn't seem like we lost any pilots... or if we did, others took their place. I too think the whole thing was grievously mishandled from the start, but eventually they made it at least enough less ridiculous to chase everyone off.
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  8. #8
    FlyingRon's Avatar
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    Yeah, I should have pointed out that after the idiotic rollout, the program seems to work. The correction of the background check problem and the "clarification" that the "escort" requirement didn't apply inside the aircraft pretty much made it just a little piece of busy work. Not anywhere near as bad as what the Boy Scouts want you to do (though we told the Scouts we weren't going to do what they asked and they came anyhow).

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    When the Young Eagles program began years ago I was friends with Steve Buss and I flew a number of kids, one at a time at Oshkosh and other local ones. I really enjoyed it and they seemed t0. There was friction between the head of the Erie based chapter and othere EAA people. One year at 12 noon with a dozen kids waiting in line to fly, the chapter president closed down the table, stood up and left. A couple of us finished those waitng to fly. This one guy scheduled an event at Erie to compete with us, same day ,next year. I think he moved away, hope so.
    Ideest the idea that Ive become a pervert lately, but the kids are more important so this year I wentt the tent a filled out the form on line. I recall one question was pareticularly insulting, but I did it. They said they would contact me but I havent heard yet. Id love to interogate those behind this red tape. but its not the kids fault and EAA claims there have been some incidents, which I doubt. We did flights for our kid school classes as well as my sons scount troop never had an red tape., and every parent signed our homemade permission letter. Only one kid did not go and that was because he was afraid not his parents.
    Last edited by Bill Greenwood; 09-23-2018 at 09:55 AM.

  10. #10
    FlyingRon's Avatar
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    Your scout troup ignored the BSA guideance. They wanted to see my insurance, certificates, aircraft logs, etc... I told them, no. I wasn't really inclined to tell them I had more than 250 hours, but I figured that was innocuous enough. Of course the pedophilic bureaucrats at the BSA haven't heard about basic med yet either.

    I did get a letter from Steve Buss thanking me for not killing any young eagles.

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