JSSI, IADA Award First Aviation Innovation Grant

Business aircraft maintenance program provider JSSI, in partnership with the International Aircraft Dealers Association’s (IADA) Foundation, has awarded its first JSSI Innovation Grant to Tyler Kleinsasser, a student at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

The $5,000 prize—presented last month at the IADA Fall Meeting in Las Vegas—is intended to recognize “outstanding innovation and entrepreneurship” among college students who are pursuing concepts that could improve the future of business aviation.

Kleinsasser was recognized for his concept of a performance analytics platform aimed at smaller aviation businesses such as charter operators, FBOs, and MROs. His work aims to address the need for accessible, aviation-specific business intelligence tools to enhance operational efficiency and data-based decision-making processes for businesses of all sizes.

“This opportunity allows me to take a concept that has been on paper and start turning it into something that can help real aviation businesses,” explained Kleinsasser. “My goal is to give smaller operators the same kind of performance and financial insights that larger companies already have access to.”

“We love Tyler’s fresh approach and focus on practical innovation that supports the business aviation community,” said JSSI chairman and CEO Neil Book. He noted that the grant was established to help facilitate innovation in the industry that will make a real difference for operators and, ultimately, the consumer.