Kenn Ricci, founder and principal of Directional Aviation Capital and chairman of Flexjet, has awarded George A. Antoniadis, founder, president and CEO of PlaneSense with the Living Legends of Aviation Kenn Ricci Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award. The honour was presented during the 22nd annual Legends event hosted by official ambassador of aviation John Travolta at the Beverly Hilton's International Ballroom in Beverly Hills, California.

The awards ceremony honours remarkable men and women who have made a profound contribution to the world of flight, ranging from astronauts to aviation leaders. The Kenn Ricci Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award deepens the ongoing connection between Flexjet and the Living Legends.

Antoniadis is founder, president and CEO of PlaneSense, a fractional aircraft ownership company based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Drawing on his experience as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, Antoniadis launched the PlaneSense programme in 1995 to provide a more efficient, cost-effective approach to private flying. The fleet now encompasses more than 60 Pilatus PC-12 turboprops and Pilatus PC-24 jets that complete more than 44,000 flights per year across areas such as the US, the Bahamas, Mexico and Central America. As a licensed air transport pilot, Antoniadis often flies the PC-12s in the PlaneSense fleet. Antoniadis serves on the Air Charter Safety Foundation board of governors and is an advisor to the Aero Club of New England.

“I understand how hard it is to start and run a successful fractional aviation company. George has carved a niche for himself within the industry via a cost effective programme with an aircraft type offered nowhere else,” states Ricci, a Legend himself and a recipient of the award that now bears his name. “George's contribution to the industry makes him crucial to our industry's foundation.”

Antoniadis joins a distinguished list of Kenn Ricci Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award recipients, including the most recent winner, Louis Pepper, former CEO and current member of the board for Atlantic Aviation. Additional honourees include Solairus founder and CEO Dan Drohan; Avfuel managing partner Craig R. Sincock; Amazon founder Jeff Bezos; Bigelow Aerospace founder Robert Bigelow; and the late Dr. S. Harry Robertson III, founder of Robertson Aviation.

Founded in 2003, the Living Legends of Aviation includes pioneers, achievers and other people of accomplishment in the field such as astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell and pilot Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger. The annual event serves as one of the largest fundraisers for the Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring future aviation enthusiasts.

“This annual honour celebrates the leaders who continue to reshape aviation. Their drive to innovate reflects the culture we champion at Flexjet, one defined by bold thinking, technological progress and a shared commitment to the future of flight,” concludes Ricci.