Thank you for that.
BJC
Thank you for that.
BJC
1996 Quad City Challenger CWS w/503 - Sold
1974 7ECA Citabria - Sold
1986 Pitts S1S
The key point, of course. I have to take a ton of online training at work, from business courtesies to ethics to hazardous waste handling to clean-room procedures. Because I have accounts on some government computer systems, I also have to take many of the GOVERNMENT-equivalent courses...and, frankly, I couldn't care less that Manual ABC-333-111 governs the PII-protection procedures of agency XYZ.
But...my employer pays me an ungodly amount of money, and so I salute and take the cute little course where I earn "rocket parts".
Here's a closer analogy to Young Eagles: Imagine you're walking down the street just before Christmas and see a Salvation Army bell-ringer. You pull a quarter out of your pocket and start reaching for the kettle. "Not so fast!" says the bell-ringer. "Please take this online course, and give us your name, address, phone number, etc. for a background check."
This policy ticks-off the people Young Eagles needs the most: The pilots who donate their time, aircraft, and the money required to keep the tanks filled to fly kids.
Young Eagles is ~31,000 kids short of two million. It would have been nice if they'd completed the second million under the old rules (or less onerous versions of what they chose), then honorably retired "Young Eagles" and merged it with "EAA Eagle Flights" with the new protections. As it is, it's leaving a bad taste in the mouth of a lot those who helped make it to 1,969,000 kids.
Ron Wanttaja
Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right.
EAA Chapter 14, IAC Chapter 36
http://acrogimp.wordpress.com/
FWIW I spoke to a pilot yesterday with over 1000 YE flights. He mailed in his card withdrew from EAA and said good by. The local EAA chapter currently doesn't have enough people committed to the training/check to have any event sponsored by EAA. Now looks like local pilots and FBO will just do fly in's for locals.
What will the EAA do to help a member whose information was hacked at the provider of the background check? That information goes to one third party before going to another party doing the actual background check.
Apparently the results of the background check will be delivered to EAA for review. Will this information be stored on a "totally secure" server and only be availalbe to the one person who reviews it.
How many people at EAA will actually be needed to complete the reviews? To what level of security check will all of those people be subjected? What help will the EAA provide to a member whose information is hacked at EAA?
Will the reports be stored in a Mason jar on Funk and Wagnall's front porch? The actual security will be about the same.
There are simply too many holes in this program for the comfort of any Young Eagles volunteer.
While I fully understand the reasoning behind the new policies, I am not so sure we have not let Pandora out of her box with no real answers on how to get her back in! I will tell you after speaking with several chapter leaders in our area the new mandate is not being well received! During a recent poll at the last meeting of our chapter members, 2/3 of those present were opposed to the changes outright and the other third were opposed as it is stated currently. We will suspend youth activities until such a time when more answers are made available. If we are going to see GA continue we need to attract the younger people to it. But with the new constraints it will make it much more problematic! I suggest every member request their chapter leaders to e-mail Jack Pelton with their opinions and just how it is affecting their current youth programs. Jack this needs to be fixed sooner then later or the youth programs may very well be at risk of collapse.
As much as it pains me to say so ... I completely support your position.
I know a number of individuals that have supported the YE program and the EAA for more than a decade that are throwing in the towel over this issue they are so disgusted. YE flights and other youth activities are being cancelled; coordinators stepping down, directives being put out not to allow flight line aircraft to be used for any EAA events. One guy even indicated he's pulling his Planned Giving.
It's a very, very sad day in the life of this organization. EAA membership may not notice these changes tomorrow but the numbers will be different a year from now. Like you I will let my membership expire this Spring and will find another venue to share my enthusiasm for aviation and resources.
If EAA HQ cared about the impact, they would survey the chapter presidents asking about the impact to the individual chapters. It appears to me the lawyers have the leadership terrified. That tells me we don't have any leadership. In all the years I was a chapter president, the only real communications I had from HQ came in the form of them wanting money or to inform us we weren't allowed to do something as a chapter the risk management people felt was of too great of a risk for them.
Jack has sent out two (or more) emails in support of this program, so I would think his support is fully behind it. I don't expect him to fix anything.
Like many others, my 28 year membership expires in November, then I'll be gone. This isn't the organization I worked to build.
-Cub Builder
I weighed in much earlier, but I'll ask again, if somewhat rhetorically: Hasn't America changed to the point that innocent programs like Young Eagles can no longer exist? Sadly, in case after case, well intentioned and innocent activities such as this, and perhaps EAA itself, can no longer be enjoyed due to degenerates amongst us, and lawyers looking to protect us whether we like it or not, at great profit to themselves? Oh, and let's not forget the Great Altar of Political Correctness. The slippery slope just pitched nose down another degree. I pray God continues to Bless America.