ProJet hosted customers, guests and airport officials for the Nov 5 opening of its hangar at OKV. Main photo shows ProJet’s 26,400 sq ft hangar.

Around 100 people attended a Nov 5 ceremony marking the grand opening of ProJet Aviation’s new 26,400 sq ft hangar and office facility at OKV (Winchester VA). The event featured a small static display, including a Gulfstream G450 in the hangar and a Bombardier Challenger 300, Cessna Citation VII, Embraer Legacy, King Air 350 and Piaggio P180 on the ramp.

ProJet also announced a major deal to provide aviation services for Sheila Johnson, CEO of Middleburg VA-based Salamander Hospitality and global ambassador for Cooperative for Assistance & Relief Everywhere (CARE).

Founded in 2005 by airline pilots Shye Gilad, Paul Kosubinsky and Craig McAteer, ProJet is an aircraft management firm which provides a full range of consulting services, including acquisition, financing and aircraft type recommendations. Charter service is also available.

“We will bring them entirely through the process and we’re not affiliated with any one manufacturer. Our loyalty is to the client, making sure we find the appropriate aircraft for each operator,” says McAteer.

(Top) CEO Shye Gilad leads a toast commemorating the new facility with staff members and Salamander Hospitality CEO Sheila Johnson. (Bottom ) ProJet’s principals and Johnson with a G450—(L–R) Gilad, Exec VP Ops Craig McAteer, Johnson and Exec VP Client Services Paul Kosubinsky.

According to Gilad, a 2nd phase of construction at OKV will involve another 26,400 sq ft hangar next to the existing facility, set for completion in late spring 2008. At that point, he expects the company will manage 3–5 aircraft. In 2–3 years, the company plans to build a jet center complete with a maintenance/repair operation and transient parking areas. Further out, Gilad anticipates that within 5 years, ProJet will manage a total of 12–15 business jets.

Fuel is provided at a discounted rate under an arrangement with the Winchester Regional Airport Authority, which operates the airport. Gilad says that as demand increases, ProJet may consider establishing an agreement with an FBO fuel supplier.

When ProJet first started looking for a base airport, they considered all the airports in the region. Gilad describes OKV as a “diamond in the rough,” noting that it is outside the Washington DC ADIZ, has fewer restrictions than other airports in the area and offers significant overhead cost, fuel and land lease savings. OKV also has a 5500-ft runway with ILS, a perimeter security fence and the political support of the surrounding community, he adds.

Johnson says that because her duties as global ambassador for CARE and CEO of Salamander Hospitality require 400–600 flight hours a year—much of them international—she began thinking about acquiring a private jet. She previously used a fractional service to book shares of flight time. In 1Q08 ProJet will acquire a GIVSP to serve Johnson’s flying needs.

“I’d been looking for a while for a management company,” she says, adding that she was impressed by the ProJet staff and their emphasis on safety: “They didn’t have to do a lot to sell me” on the benefits of a managed aircraft. Gilad adds that Johnson won’t be constrained to flying from OKV, as ProJet will shuttle the GIVSP to any airport in the region, including IAD (Dulles, Washington DC) and HEF (Manassas VA). “We can pick her up,” he says, while retaining the infrastructure and fuel savings available at OKV. —Andrew Parker