Those attending ProJet’s Monday luncheon, including Serena R. “Renny” Manuel, Winchester Regional Airport executive director (left), could tour a G450 Gulfstream large-cabin business jet belonging to Sheila C. Johnson, one of the company’s first major clients. Manuel is talking with flight attendant Linda Barr. (Rick Foster)

WINCHESTER — ProJet, a new aviation consulting and aircraft management firm at the Winchester Regional Airport, treated friends, associates, and local business leaders to an upscale luncheon on Monday to celebrate the official launch of the new firm.

Valets greeted guests as they drove up to the airport terminal and limousines took them to the ProJet hangar next door for an afternoon of champagne, food, and a chance to peek inside a G450 Gulfstream large-cabin business jet which has recently come under the group’s management.

Guests milled in and around the 90-foot-long aircraft, parked in the center of the glossy white floor, while classical music provided by a quartet from the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra played softly in the background.

Inside, the jet’s luxurious features included seating for 12, a plush couch, a booth-style dining area, and wood trim and accents.

The plane’s owner is one of ProJet’s first major clients, Sheila C. Johnson of Middleburg, who prefers flying privately because of her tight travel schedule as global ambassador for CARE, a humanitarian organization that fights poverty, and owner of Salamander Hospitality, a hotel resort management and consulting service.

"I fly so much," Johnson told the group of about 200 guests who gathered in front of the jet for a champagne toast. "When I do the numbers, it makes sense."

A crowd gathers in ProJet’s new hangar at Winchester Regional Airport during a celebratory luncheon for the aviation consulting and aircraft management company on Monday. The facility was completed in September and a second hangar for the company should be finished next spring. The aircraft in the background, a G450 Gulfstream large-cabin business jet, belongs to one of ProJet’s first major clients, Sheila C. Johnson of Middleburg, who travels extensively because of her roles as global ambassador for CARE and owner of Salamander Hospitality. (Rick Foster)

Before signing on with ProJet, Johnson flew to her international destinations using another airplane management service based at Washington Dulles International Airport, where she owned shares of a private aircraft.

Johnson made the switch to ProJet, she said, so she could have full ownership of a plane and customized service.

"I do travel a lot in a very short period of time, and this is the only way I can balance my career, which makes the money, and CARE, which spends the money," she said jokingly during an interview later during the luncheon.

ProJet Chief Executive Officer Shye Gilad said his company will handle full-service management for Johnson’s plane, which includes providing a flight crew, routine care and maintenance, and hangar space.

Johnson told the assembled group that she chose ProJet so she could have full ownership of a plane and experience customized service. Previously, Johnson flew to international destinations using another airplane management service based at Washington Dulles International Airport where she owned shares of a private aircraft. (Rick Foster)

"The G450 is the "Rolls-Royce of the aircraft industry," said Gilad, adding that he and ProJet partners Paul Kosubinsky and Craig McAteer are excited about having a plane of that caliber in the hangar.

He said the base retail price for a G450 Gulfstream jet is about $36 million.

In addition to Johnson, ProJet manages planes for two other clients and provides consulting services for several others.

ProJet broke ground last fall and moved into its hangar and office complex in September. Once an additional hangar is completed in March, the firm will have about 26,000 square feet of space to house aircraft for its clients.

Serena R. "Renny" Manuel, the airport’s executive director, said ProJet is the type of business the airport is trying to attract and that the Airport Authority has invested $18 million in airport upgrades — primarily in new technology, infrastructure, and added safety and security measures — to accommodate larger aircraft.

"In 1985, the Airport Authority members decided they wanted to turn the airport into a modern, first-class, all-weather, general aviation facility to support existing business," Manuel said.

Authority member Paul Anderson Jr. said the upgrades were needed because it was also becoming more difficult to accommodate local companies which used the airport.

"We had industries here that were getting bigger aircraft, and we couldn’t handle it," he said.

In addition to providing aircraft management, maintenance, consulting, and leasing services, ProJet provides charter flight services through its newly acquired subsidiary, Grace Airways.