What Verdica's 850 score means for HEDDEN JAMES A
An 850 composite score places HEDDEN JAMES A in Verdica's excellent band (800–850), the highest performance tier. This score reflects a clean regulatory record across all three measured dimensions: airworthiness certification, FAA enforcement history, and service difficulty reports.
For a reader evaluating this provider, an excellent-band score indicates that no red flags have surfaced in the FAA's public records. The entity has maintained compliance with certificate standing requirements, has not accumulated enforcement actions, and has not generated service difficulty reports that would signal systemic quality or safety issues. This does not mean the provider is perfect—no score can predict individual transaction outcomes—but it does mean the regulatory baseline is strong and there is no documented pattern of non-compliance or operational problems tracked by federal authorities.
The 850 score should be understood as a baseline compliance check, not a comprehensive endorsement. It reflects what regulators and public records can verify, not customer experience, pricing, or responsiveness. If you are considering doing business with HEDDEN JAMES A, the score removes a major source of concern but does not replace due diligence in other areas.
How the sub-scores break down
Certificate Standing (850). This sub-score reflects the airworthiness certificates and licensing credentials held by or issued to this entity. A perfect score here means all required certificates are current, valid, and in good standing with the FAA. In aviation, certificate standing is a hard threshold: you either hold a valid certificate or you do not. There is no partial credit. An 850 in this dimension confirms that HEDDEN JAMES A meets the baseline regulatory requirement to operate.
FAA Enforcement (850). This sub-score is derived from FAA enforcement records—citations, violations, corrective action orders, and civil penalties issued to the entity. A perfect score indicates no documented enforcement actions in the FAA's public database. In aviation, enforcement actions range from minor violations to serious breaches of airworthiness standards or operational rules. A clean enforcement record means the provider has not been formally cited for non-compliance by federal regulators.
Service Difficulty Reports (850). Service difficulty reports (SDRs) are filed when operators, mechanics, or manufacturers identify defects, failures, or unsafe conditions in aircraft or components. A perfect score means no SDRs have been linked to this entity's work, parts, or services in the FAA database. SDRs are often leading indicators of quality or safety issues, so a zero-SDR record suggests consistent workmanship and parts quality.
What regulators in PA track for aviation providers
The FAA maintains a public airworthiness certificate database that records who holds active certificates to manufacture, repair, maintain, or operate aircraft and components. Certificate types vary by service line: repair stations, manufacturers, and individual mechanics each follow different pathways. Certificates require periodic renewal and compliance with ongoing training, record-keeping, and quality standards.
FAA enforcement records track violations of Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) and airworthiness directives. Common infractions include improper maintenance, falsified records, unauthorized repairs, and failure to comply with airworthiness directives. Enforcement escalates from warning letters to civil penalties and certificate revocation. These records are public and searchable by entity name.
Service Difficulty Reports create a public record of defects, malfunctions, and unsafe conditions discovered during operation or maintenance. Unlike enforcement actions (which are initiated by regulators), SDRs are filed by industry participants. Patterns in SDRs can reveal systemic quality or design issues and often precede formal enforcement.
In Pennsylvania, the FAA regional office oversees compliance across all these dimensions. State aviation authorities may track additional data, but FAA records are the primary federal baseline.
Bottom line
HEDDEN JAMES A carries no documented regulatory risk based on available FAA records. Before committing to a service contract, verify that the specific service or certificate you need matches what is advertised, and ask for references or documentation of past work. A clean regulatory score is a necessary condition for trust, not a sufficient one.