Joe Del Balzo, 85, the founder and president of JDA Aviation Technology Solutions and former acting FAA administrator, died from cancer on February 11. Del Balzo founded JDA in 1994 after spending more than three decades with the FAA, culminating in the roles of acting and deputy administrator.
Describing Del Blazo as a “New Yorker through and through,” JDA colleague and former FAA staffer Sandy Murdock said he “was kind, rarely if ever lost his temper, found time for anyone, did not insist that speed prevail over getting to the right answer and would not raise his voice even if highly frustrated. Calm and quiet was his effective management mode.”
Born In New York, Del Balzo earned an engineering degree from Manhattan College in 1958 and embarked on his public service career with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Beginning as an entry-level engineer with the FAA, Del Balzo earned a master’s in engineering management from Drexel University in 1967 and later was awarded an honorary doctorate of aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
An instrument-rated pilot, Del Balzo moved into a number of senior-level roles with the FAA. He served as the chief technical advisor for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, coordinating research and development efforts between the U.S. and those regions. He also spoke on behalf of U.S. aviation matters before the International Civil Aviation Organization. In addition, he led the FAA Technical Center, achieving national and international recognition for its work in the areas of airport and airspace systems analysis, aircraft fire safety, electronic systems testing, and pilot judgment studies.
He later assumed the role of executive director of system operations, defining requirements for new technology and operation of the air traffic control system and coordinating the participation of National Airspace System users. Del Balzo held the role of deputy administrator and in 1992 and 1993 was acting administrator.
At JDA, Del Balzo steered consultancy work across airport and airspace planning, safety, security, training, and technology applications, working with a range of international clients.
A Fellow of the America Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Del Balzo was a former chairman of the Air Traffic Control Association, a former member of the Civil Tilt-Rotor Advisory Committee; and had served on the board of Weather Information Technologies.
