Southwest Florida-based Elite Jets has added a quartet of pilots to its growing aviation team.

The company owns four Embraer Phenom 300s and one Embraer Legacy 500 that transport passengers to destinations across North, Central and South America, as well as to the Caribbean. It operates from a private terminal at Naples airport, and also has a Bell 407 helicopter that provides sightseeing and travel services across southern Florida.

"Whether business or leisure travel, strong passenger demand for an alternative to commercial air travel continues to drive our expansion," says senior vice president Stephen Myers, CAM. "And the prospect of working in one of the most desirable communities around ensures no shortage of top-notch candidates."

Andrew McLean is one of Elite Jets' new Phenom 300 captains. He joins the company from Kuwait Airways where he was an Airbus A320 captain. A former Royal Air Force Air Cadet in Great Britain, McLean has also flown as a captain of Challenger, Gulfstream and Hawker jets, serving high-profile passengers such as Hollywood celebrities and members of the British royal family.

Jose Abelardo Calmet is the second new Phenom 300 captain. A native of Peru, he previously captained a Boeing 767 and is also certified to pilot other types of jets. Calmet credits his father, also a pilot, as his inspiration for a career in the cockpit.

Phenom 300 first officer Lindon Baldwin comes to Elite Jets from the nearby Naples Air Center, where he worked as assistant chief flight instructor at the flight school. As a first officer, he assists the Phenom 300 captain in ensuring every flight is conducted in a safe and efficient manner.

The most recent new hire, first officer Oscar Jimenez, joined the company in October. He brings nearly four decades of flight experience in the continental US and Puerto Rico, including the past 25 years transporting passengers and cargo for Atlas Air.