US operator Elite Jets has added three new pilots and a charter consultant to accommodate continued growth in the private travel industry. The Naples, Florida-based charter company employs approximately 40 aviation professionals. Its new recruits include pilots Kevin Johnson, Tom Taylor and Michael Grebb, and Josh Simpson as executive charter consultant.

“Elite Jets has grown steadily since the company was founded in 2016, and the pandemic accelerated growth as additional business and leisure travellers consider private charters instead of flying commercially,” says executive VP Stephen Myers. “Adding these experienced pilots ensures our team can continue accommodating requests for service to destinations around the country and abroad.”

Johnson captains the Legacy 500, a 10-passenger luxury jet with a range of 3,100 miles. Johnson trained at Spartan College of Aeronautics and American Air, later working for a pair of commuter airlines, TWA Express and US Air Express. He also piloted contract flights with the US Department of Defense and trained military pilots before Desert Storm.

Taylor captains the Phenom 300, a nine-passenger private jet with a 2,000 mile range, and has been a pilot since 1988, flying professionally since 2000 for multiple sectors of aviation, including charters, commercial airlines, corporate-owned jets and freight. He is commissioned as a chaplain in the US Navy Reserve.

Grebb captains the Phenom 300 and Hawker 850XP, a midsize aircraft that Elite Jets manages. He has served as a corporate and charter pilot, as well as a flight instructor, and has flown internationally to countries across the world.

As executive charter consultant, Simpson works with Elite Jets' operations team and assists passengers with trip planning, scheduling and logistics. Previous positions include operations manager for a law firm, line technician at Naples airport, manager of a municipal airport and multiple roles within the field of higher education.