Chairman’s Update

2020: Safety and Insurance at the Forefront

by Tom Abood

user_2330Last week, CJP’s board of directors held its winter meeting in Nashville, Tennessee at the JW Marriott – the host hotel of this year’s Annual Convention. From the visit, we were able to begin the process of preparing for the event and came away very excited about the location. The board and the interaction committee carefully review survey results and feedback from each year’s convention and are in continuous improvement mode, always trying to surpass the high standards of the year before.

With blockbuster star Keith Urban headlining the event, all new safety programming in the works and the support of our partners led by Textron Aviation, the 2020 CJP Convention (October 21-24) promises to deliver an extraordinary experience for members and companions alike. Registration opens this summer and more details will be announced in the coming months. An enormous thank you to Textron for bringing Keith Urban to CJP.

In addition to convention planning, our main board topics of discussion included safety initiatives, insurance initiatives and budget planning and approval. The CJP Safety & Education Foundation board continues to enhance its numerous initiatives (i.e., scenario-based training, Citation-specific SOPs, Gold Standard Award), with a flight operations quality assurance (FOQA) program analysis and potential development having a special emphasis.

The tightening insurance market is also a well-known matter affecting our members. The board has been working to develop an alternative that it hopes to present to qualified members later this year. As Safety Committee Chairman, Charlie Precourt, has mentioned previously, “Demonstrating our membership is a lower risk pool for underwriters because of CJP initiatives is our goal to keep insurance rates in check and our flight operations affordable.” Stay tuned for more information on this and other safety matters in the next issue of “Right Seat.”

Finally, this is the time of year when budgets are finalized. While a seemingly mundane topic, the budget is the financial expression of our priorities. This year we’ve invested in all the activities mentioned above and then some while maintaining fiscal prudence. It remains a priority to deliver value to our members through innovative events, tools and resources. Today, CJP membership is more valuable than ever with the scope and depth of CJP offerings at all-time highs. I encourage all of you to take advantage of your membership by partaking in some or all of the following:

  • Attend the 2020 convention and regional events;
  • Participate in the forums;
  • Achieve the CJP Gold Standard Safety Award;
  • Utilize CJP In-Flight Guides and SOPs;
  • Volunteer for a committee of the board;
  • Utilize service certificates and other member benefits provided on our site.

To recap, our top 2020 focuses are 1) Invest in the CJP Safety Foundation and initiatives like FOQA; 2) Explore alternatives to address insurance issues; 3) Advocacy efforts on fleet issues; 4) Plan and execute another great convention. I am honored and excited for the opportunity to tackle these initiatives with my fellow board members and continue the great work of our founders and predecessors.