New Website and Blog!

Ever wondered exactly what it is that we do at JDA? Or perhaps you are curious regarding our professional views on a specific topic. JDA has a new website where you can learn about JDA, find a description of our services, view a list of clients, keep up-to-date regarding our latest news and events, and get our contact information. We've even added a blog, which is a forum for JDA staff and consultants to post their thoughts on topics pertaining to safety, certification & compliance, airspace analysis and obstruction evaluation, the environment, organizational relationships & management, and human factors. We hope you find the website to be informative and the blog to be thought provoking. We invite you to go to the blog and submit comments on our posts to help us expand our thoughts and broaden the knowledge base of the aviation community.


The Big Move

JDA has moved! On March 16th we moved into much needed new office space. In the last year we have grown our professional staff and we needed more room. Hence we've moved just four miles to the north into a larger space that easily accommodates our growing business. Our new contact information follows:

    JDA Aviation Technology Solutions
    4720 Montgomery Lane
    Suite 950
    Bethesda, MD 20814
    P) 301-941-1460 
    F) 301-941-1466

Please feel free to stop by next time you are in the Washington, DC area!


JDA at MRO and RAA

If you are planning to attend either the MRO Americas Conference and Exhibition in Dallas, TX from April 21-23 or the RAA Annual Convention from May 18-21 in Salt Lake City, UT, please stop by our exhibit.  Some of the JDA products and services that will be highlighted include SMS Pro^TM, a web–based safety management tool; ATOS Pro, an ATOS assessment and document manager; and EQ^2-EMS the new environment management System. At MRO, you can find us in booth #425 and at RAA we will be in the Green Pavilion. We look forward to seeing you!


Strategic Partnership with EQ²

We have formed a strategic partnership with EQ², a UK based environmental economics solutions provider. The partnership will extend JDA's already exceptional aviation consulting services and provide unparalleled expertise and accuracy in environmental measurement reporting and reduction.

Helping the aviation industry shift to a sustainable business model and improving its operating efficiency and protecting the environment are critical.  EQ² has a specialist environmental team with significant aviation experience through JDA that can help tackle these challenges.

EQ² and JDA have combined their expertise to develop an environmental management system (EMS) called EQ^2-EMS that is practical to use while complete in its approach, taking into account all operational aspects from ground to air.

EQ^2-EMS allows airlines and airports as well as manufacturers and MRO facilities to share information in order to gain efficiencies and deliver a complete sustainability program. "With the pending EU proposal for including aviation in the EU emissions trading scheme all airlines flying in and out of the EU will be regulated and need to pay for their CO² emissions. The JDA EQ² partnership provides tremendous opportunity for U.S. and other aviation entities to greatly benefit from this new service offering" stated Joe Del Balzo, JDA President.

The EQ^2-EMS quantifies environmental emissions and impacts in relation to operating costs, providing the metrics to implement reduction targets and mitigate future risk, including emissions trading requirements, tracking and purchase. The EQ^2-EMS allows executives and operating teams to have an interactive management platform to work as a single team and use their established operating structure, promoting application ease of use and effectiveness. The EQ^2-EMS allows real time energy monitoring, compliance reporting, impact and emissions allocation and audit verification.

"Companies need to base their operational decisions, disclosure reporting and investment proposals on accurate environmental metrics rather than estimates that are likely to cloud, confuse or mislead. We are excited about working with JDA," said Steve Burt CEO of EQ². "We share the same passion for excellence in accurate disclosure and reporting. Together, we combine a wealth of skills and experience that will deliver cost saving results for U.S. organizations."

EQ² also partners with AMEE to provide total accuracy in its reporting. EQ-certified reports provide complete assurance that an organization has properly analyzed its GHG emissions and impacts.


The Business Case for Implementing an SMS

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is targeting June 30, 2009 for the release of an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) that will lay the groundwork for requiring aviation operators and businesses to implement a Safety Management System (SMS). The FAA also published order 1110.152 effective February 12, 2009, which established a charter for an SMS Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). The SMS ARC already held its first meeting in March 2009. The order may be reviewed at the FAA website.  The FAA hopes to publish the SMS final rule (FR) in 2012, but historically rules of this magnitude take 4 to 5 years to finalize.

Considering this extended timeframe, tight budgets, and the generally reactive nature of the industry, what would motivate any aviation organization to adopt an SMS before an FAA rule is published?

Anton "Tony" Hulman, Jr. a businessman from Terre Haute, Indiana who rescued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945 and made the Indianapolis 500 popular is credited with the often quoted, "Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves." Used quite often by football, basketball and other sports leaders in pre-game speeches, the quote is also very appropriate for anyone involved in a safety critical business.

Safety research indicates that only a small portion of reported incidents/events involve injury or damage. Of approximately 600 reported occurrences there can be 30 incidents involving property damage, 10 accidents with serious injury, and 1 major or fatal injury. The 1-10-30-600 ratio indicates a wasted opportunity for learning about safety when focusing only on serious injuries or significant damage events. The essential is invisible to the eyes, as latent conditions may lie dormant for a long time and only become evident when they combine with a triggering mechanism. Eliminating latent conditions (little things) may eliminate an accident (big thing). Implementing an SMS will help take care of the little things.

If eliminating accidents is not enough to motivate an organization to implement an SMS, firms may be motivated by the legal, positive return on safety investment, labor relation, and regulatory benefits of an SMS.

In the legal arena, when executives are faced with hazards for which a regulatory response may not exist, they are accountable to take all reasonable steps to either eliminate the hazards or manage its effects. An SMS provides the means to prove this due diligence.

An SMS often delivers a positive return on safety investments. An SMS may help get better insurance premiums; contribute to lower operating costs, either as cost avoidance or cost reduction; and even increase profit through the capturing of a larger market share. Companies that rigorously scrutinize their business and safety practices develop more streamlined processes that translate into better efficiency.

The development, care, and nurturing of an SMS requires significant levels of engagement between managers and employees. This in turn often leads to better relations between management and its employees and union organizations.

Finally, an SMS has the potential to reduce an organization's regulatory burden in two respects: less regulation in terms of amount and prescription, and possibly less intervention in areas such as inspections, audits, enforcements, and litigation.

So yes, somewhere around the year 2012, your organization may be required to develop an SMS. But given the current economic climate and competitive environment, can you afford to wait that long?