Quote Originally Posted by cub builder View Post
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
I just want to step in for a second and comment on this on a personal level. I am the president of the Employee Flying Club at EAA, which helps pilots on staff stay current and welcomes new staff members to the joys of flying with an in-house support system that allows them to pursue those dreams. While we have a sizeable number of pilots on staff at EAA, in the past few years that we have been active our club has licensed about half a dozen new pilots and soloed several more. Glory, the moderator of this forum, is a very enthusiastic member of our current crop of students. Even many of the staffers who choose not to earn their license participate in flying club events and discover more about our great EAA community.


While I came to EAA as a pilot, I had never built an airplane before. Thanks to our staff build project – a Zenith 750 STOL – I am now intimately familiar with aircraft electrical systems, as I built most of ours. I also got my tailwheel endorsement through our club. There is always room to grow and develop in this community, and if we are going to survive we must welcome all comers who share our passion.


I agree that an organization of pilots, builders, and enthusiasts must have the same interests at its very heart, and be closely connected to the community. But I take exception to the accusation that staff members who do not fly or were not hired as pilots are “out of touch.” We’re making pilots here, and some of our newest pilots are now the most active members of our club – I’m not sure what encompasses grassroots aviation more than that.