COPA for Kids pilots now require police check

[rigpiggy]

Im sure all of these folks had passed a VSRC as well



https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british- ... t-1.589886
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/br ... le1211643/
https://nanaimonewsnow.com/2016/09/09/r ... e-sting-2/
https://globalnews.ca/news/5361451/peel ... ld-luring/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton ... -1.4728644
https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton ... ed-in-jail

Anyway I have said my piece. and by the way s69a, there is a difference between an explanation and an excuse.

[C.W.E.]

When I owned a flight school/ charter business I gave free rides to kids for years.

Never had a problem with the kids freaking out.

Never had anyone suggest I get a police check to see if I was a paedophile.

I was not involved with C.O.P.A. I offered the rides without their blessings.

[C-GKNT]

You can't offer to fly kids at your local airport without having to prove you are not a child molester?

Wow.

Well...technically you are only proving that there is no record of you having been convicted of molesting a child (or similarly serious offense).

Glenn

[digits_]

Well...technically you are only proving that there is no record of you having been convicted of molesting a child (or similarly serious offense).

Glenn

Exactly, you have to prove you are a very good one, that you haven't been caught yet

[C.W.E.]

Well...technically you are only proving that there is no record of you having been convicted of molesting a child (or similarly serious offense).

I can't understand your comment.

I stated that I gave free rides to kids with my own airplanes and no one ever asked me to produce a police record of any offences I may have been convicted of.

So how is that proving I have no criminal record?

Are we supposed to carry our criminal record in that abortion of an Aviation Document they sent us?

How about our V.D. records?

[corethatthermal]

At all of these C4K events, are tower controllers controlling all movements? Are all the pilots paperwork ( A/C documents, pilot documents, currency, training etc) checked? Is the A/C maintenance logs checked for adherence to AWD s SB s common sense life limit bulletins like Lycomings maximum calendar limit for engines etc. Are pilots required to have minimum hours and hours on type?

If it is a SMS type risk assessment issue, then these items above ought to be on the list INSTEAD of a pedofile check !!

IF there is an accident caused by one of the above negligent items, you can be assured that the typical knee-jerk reaction would be to cover the above items AFTER the fact! You cant stop a pedofile IF they have never been found out !

[AirFrame]

It's the chance one of the kids might actually find flying cool, and the pilot cool, and they strike up a private relationship, you know with those things we call phones -- without any knowledge of the parents -- (you know the ones that just want to drop off their kids, LOL).

How do they set up that private relationship, in a cockpit with three kids? They'll all hear it. I doubt the pilot would risk it.

...these predators are patient.

Sadly, these predators are also fairly intelligent. They generally don't get caught until there have been multiple victims, sometimes well into the double digit numbers. The flying community is fairly small at most GA airports, it would be hard to bring a kid out to the airport more than a couple of times without someone seeing them and noticing. "Who's the kid?" "Oh, my neice" "Didn't know you had a sister..." etc.

Pilots are what's called being in a position of influence in the interactions with children. Ground staff aren't. I'm supposing this is their thinking on it. You think there's a Chance copa has thought all this through?

I'm thinking they have followed someone's tunnel vision down only one path of thinking, and once they were there they didn't bother looking for any other possibilities. There is a hierarchy of influence at a CFK event, from a kid's perspective. Every adult there is in a position of influence. The ground crew, wearing their yellow safety vests for visibility and/or carrying clipboards of names of kids to fly, are organizers, and provide direction to the kids (and parents) at the airport. And they spend a lot more time with the kids, in a much less structured or supervised environment.

I'm also guessing few of the critics have been in any leadership capacity of an organization that could be wrecked by accusations of failing to keep children safe. If you were, you'd see it differently.

I don't see it differently. While I look at the situation and say "there's never been an incident so why do we need this?", I recognize that regardless of the stupidity of the security theatre, society wants this. If that's the case, require *everyone* to do the VSC. Stop dicking around with adding another hassle, cost, and nuisance to the pilots who are already donating their aircraft, their fuel, their insurance risk, and their time to the cause. The ground crew give nothing but their time, with near zero risk. How about sharing the load?

[rookiepilot]

I don't know enough about ground crews interaction level. FWIW I'm not opposed to the idea COPA should look at that aspect too. I have just said I think I can understand their thoughts on it.

[Heliian]

In Ontario, the fees have gone up to $41 for an employment check.

It is FREE for volunteers and available at opp detachments.

[rookiepilot]

Just renewed mine in Ontario for a volunteer role. It's free with a letter from the Volunteer Org. and took all of 30 minutes. Walked out with it.

[rigpiggy]

Not my experience, 6 weeks on the outside, for each organization

[Schooner69A]

"...and by the way s69a, there is a difference between an explanation and an excuse."

Similar to my parents: "That's an excuse, not a reason"

Anyway, our little group flew about 118 children this past weekend without a hitch. The happy smiles on the faces of the children was more than enough reward for the trifling annoyance of the VSC...