A Relationship for Your Flight and the Future.
Experience matters. That’s why we are led by a team of experts with decades of combined excellence within the private jet travel industry. A group of genuine people, who first and foremost, seek to do right by you and take a long-term approach to relationships.
Gregg Slow
FXAIR President, Gregg Slow is a leader in the private jet industry with two decades of experience in innovation, sales and premium customer service at some of the private aviation industry’s most well-respected brands. As President of the Americas at UK-based PrivateFly, Slow focused on building a progressive and collaborative culture among employees in addition to improving the company’s asset management and large cabin strategies. Slow joined XOJet as Senior Vice President of Sales and national accounts and quickly emerged as a valuable leader so the organization created a new position for him – Executive Vice President of Sales and Client Services.
His continued high performance became vital to the company and led to the company’s desire to elevate him to a Chief Client Officer, another position created for him. During his XOJet tenure, he created market-disrupting programs aimed at specific client demographics. He also re-trained the sales team to take a consultative approach to sales in an effort to elevate the caliber of experience clients received. He was an integral part of the Vista Global acquisition of XOJet.
During his decade at NetJets, Slow became a well-known and respected Senior Vice President in the New York metropolitan area who was a vital driver of business from corporate and celebrity contacts. His departure from NetJets was even noted by the New York Post.
He has been featured in a number of media outlets including The New York Times and Business Insider. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Union College in Schenectady, NY. Gregg resides in Weston, CT. with his wife and their three children.
Michael Hall
Michael Hall brings more than a decade of private aviation experience to his role as FXAIR’s Senior Vice President of Operations. Michael is responsible for ensuring overall productivity and effectiveness of sales analytics and client services and isa key liaison between FXAIR and the other Directional brands. Michael started his aviation career at Jets.com learning the ins and outs of the industry as a college intern. Following college he continued to work at Jets.com, first in operations and transitioned into sales.
In 2009, he joined Sentient Jet as a Sales Director. Over the last eleven years, he has worked within the Directional Aviation’s family of flight providers. During that time, he held numerous positions and has become a key player in the evolution and growth of the charter segment of the company. As a Vice President of Sales at Sentient Jet and Skyjet, Michael mentored experienced Sales Directors while also growing his individual clientele. He managed key business executive accounts and specialized in worldwide press tours for high grossing studio films. In 2019, he joined the PrivateFly brand and was promoted to Senior Vice President of Sales for the Americas. In this role he was tasked with overseeing and growing the United States sales and client services team.
Michael graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business entrepreneurship from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. He is very active in community service serving as the sole civilian committee member of the B Fit Challenge in collaboration with the Boston Bruins and Massachusetts First Responders. Additionally, from his support of Veterans, he was presented the U.S. Navy Seal Legacy Foundation’s Unsung Hero Award. He lives in Norwell, MA. with his wife and daughter.
Danielle Talbott
Danielle Talbott is a trusted industry veteran tapping more than a decade of experience in leadership roles across private aviation’s most esteemed brands with a laser-focus on building high-performing teams that deliver results. As FXAIR’s Senior Vice President of Commercial Strategy, Danielle will focus on growth and product planning and collaboration across senior leadership of the broader portfolio of Directional Aviation companies.
Danielle comes to FXAIR from private aviation strategic advisory firm Aviation Portfolio, where as Principal Advisor she was partner to the CEO/Chief Strategist. There, she nearly tripled the company’s revenue by spearheading a disciplined and balanced approach to focusing on new client acquisition and client retention and launched the transformation from reactive to pro-active client engagement.
At XOJET, where Danielle quickly rose from sales to senior management, she initially established a new record for portfolio growth. Danielle then became the youngest to be promoted to Vice President and the first woman in the role. She later advanced to Executive Vice President of North America leading XOJET’s commercial business. As an integral part of the Vista Global acquisition of XOJET, Danielle led the post-sale corporate evolution with direct influence and thought leadership aligning with marketing, product and service strategies to achieve record growth.
She began her private aviation career in sales at fractional provider NetJets where she was ranked number one among her peers, topping the leaderboard of self-generated new business and earning additional accolades including the prestigious President’s Club award.
Danielle holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Campbell University where she graduated magna cum laude after earning a full 4-year merit-based scholarship. In 2015, she was named Campbell University’s Young Alumna of the Year. She has also established an endowed scholarship program at her alma mater.
Married to her high-school sweetheart, Danielle and her husband live in Rye, NY., with their two children. Danielle and her family are active supporters of Army West Point athletics at the United States Military Academy.
Robert Shaplen
As Senior Vice President of Sales at FXAIR, Robert Shaplen leads the sales organization with a focus on client acquisition and retention. He works closely with his peers on the leadership team to increase top-line revenue for the business. He also develops and cultivates innovative products and ensures the industry’s highest level of customer service for FXAIR’s renowned Aviator+ program. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President of Sales at PrivateFly.
Prior to joining Directional Aviation-held flight providers, Robert was known as an award-winning senior aviation sales advisor with XOJet. His enthusiasm for hospitality and high-touch customer service allowed Robert to consistently exceed quotas – growing quarter over quarter and then year over year. During his five-year tenure, he played an important creative role in developing partnerships within the sports and entertainment vertical, improving company product offerings and ultimately relocated to New York to help expand market share in the Northeast region.
Robert specializes in moving customers through the sales cycle using an educational approach, guiding clients through the various products and limitations within the aviation marketplace. He maintains long-term relationships by being consistent and transparent and more recently has applied the same approach in his role as team manager and mentor for newer sales advisors starting out in the industry.
Robert graduated from the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in communication. He is an active member of the Vistage Executive Leadership Group and the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He resides in Seattle, WA., with his wife Cayla and son Lukas.
Parent Company Leaders
Kenneth Ricci
Kenneth C. “Kenn” Ricci is an American aviation entrepreneur and the Principal of Directional Aviation Capital, which owns or invests in various aviation enterprises including Flexjet, where he also serves as Chairman.
Kenn began his aviation career as an Air Force ROTC cadet at the University of Notre Dame and started his first company, Corporate Wings, in 1980. His love of aviation had him founding, acquiring or financing a broad range of aviation companies and ideas over his career. He has assembled one of the largest groups of private aviation companies which together account for over $4.0 billion of revenue, operate over 300 aircraft and employ over 5,000 individuals.
Kenn was honored as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2000 and has been named one of the most influential people in aviation by Aviation International News. In 2005, Kenn led the restructuring of the Mercury Air Centers, a $200 million company operating aircraft support facilities at 24 different airports. He sold the company to Macquarie Infrastructure Trust in 2007 in a deal valued at $615 million. In 2010, Kenn received the Harvard Business School’s Dively Entrepreneurship Award. In 2011, Kenn was the youngest recipient of the prestigious William A. “Bill” Ong Memorial Award for extraordinary achievement and extended meritorious service to the general aviation industry.
Kenn is the founder of Nextant Aerospace, the innovator of Aircraft Remanufacturing. In 2015, Kenn received the Aviation Week Laureate Award, a benchmark of industry excellence, recognizing his work in the development of Nextant Aerospace.
In 2016, Kenn received the Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award from the Living Legends of Aviation. In 2019, he was inducted as a Living Legend of Aviation. The Living Legends of Aviation are admirable people of remarkable accomplishment in aviation including entrepreneurs, innovators, industry leaders, record breakers, astronauts and pilots.
An airline transport pilot with more than 6,000 hours of flight time and extensive international experience, he was Governor William Clinton’s pilot when he ran for President in 1992.
Kenn graduated from the University of Notre Dame and in 2018 created a groundbreaking giving structure called a Philanthropic Succession Partnership to donate $100 million to the university, the single largest unrestricted, guaranteed gift ever committed. Kenn also graduated from the Cleveland Marshall School of Law, where he was named a Distinguished Alumni in 2016 and selected for admission to their Alumni Hall of Fame in 2018.
Kenn serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of Notre Dame, the Smithsonian and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
In 2018, Mr. Ricci was named one of Town & Country Magazine’s top 50 Philanthropists for his charitable work. His other philanthropic causes include Able Flight, which provides people with disabilities a way to challenge themselves through flight and aviation career training. In 2014, Kenn was honored by the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for championing research and treatment of the disease, which affects 30,000 children and adults in the United States.
Recognized as a leader and innovator in the private aviation industry, Mr. Ricci has been widely quoted in print, online and on broadcast television including The New York Times, Washington Post, Fox Business, Bloomberg TV, CNBC, Robb Report and Worth Magazine. Mr. Ricci’s management strategies have been featured in the Wall Street Journal and he is the Author of “Management by Trust,” a book featuring practical management techniques for building employee trust and success.
Michael A. Rossi
Michael Rossi has been a premier leader in the development of innovative business strategies in the aviation industry since 1982. Today, Mr. Rossi is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Flexjet; a board member of Flexjet and a shareholder and principal in Directional Aviation Capital. In his role, Mr. Rossi is responsible for leading Flexjet’s financial strategy, overseeing financial operations and driving growth and profitability.
Throughout his career, Mr. Rossi has been involved in over 30 acquisitions, mergers and divestitures in the private aviation industry, making him a valuable asset to Flexjet. He has a deep understanding of the complexities of the aviation industry and has a proven track record of driving success in this dynamic industry. Mr. Rossi’s extensive experience touches on all areas of general aviation, including fractional ownership, jet card programs, fixed-base operations, maintenance facilities, management of aircraft and the buying and selling of corporate aircraft. Mr. Rossi has been involved in capital and debt transactions in excess of $2.5B.
His career as a Chief Financial Officer began with a restructuring of Mercury Air Centers, where he was instrumental in increasing EBITDA by over 200 percent, a result of acquisitions and operating efficiencies. An innovative CFO in the industry, Mr. Rossi was among the leaders who drove the acquisitions of Sentient Jet in 2012, Flexjet in 2013, PrivateFly in 2018 and Sirio in 2019.
His work to lead Flexjet through the 2020 pandemic pulled from experience and best practices he developed while CFO at Flight Options, which successfully survived the Great Recession of 2008 & 2009. Flexjet emerged from the pandemic without making any layoffs and, in fact, Flexjet grew its clientele and capacity.
In 2022, Mr. Rossi played a vital role in a transaction combining the SPAC, Zanite and Embraer’s EVE, an eVTOL manufacturer, which resulted in EVE becoming a publicly traded company.
Mr. Rossi is a graduate of John Carroll University and is a Certified Public Accountant. As a testament to long-term relationships, Flexjet Chairman, Kenneth Ricci and Mr. Rossi have been personal friends for decades.
Michael J. Silvestro
Michael J. “Mike” Silvestro is the Chief Executive Officer of Flexjet and is the longest tenured CEO in the fractional private jet industry. Mr. Silvestro, who holds a private pilot’s license, began his aviation career at Flight Options in 2000, where he served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing from 2000 to 2005.
Mr. Silvestro left Flight Options after Raytheon Travel Air’s investment that ultimately led to its acquiring majority control of the company. He held a senior position with fractional provider CitationShares from 2005 to 2008.
Mr. Silvestro returned to Flight Options as CEO in 2008 after its acquisition by Directional Aviation and helped to lead its recovery after the recession of 2008-09. From 2009 to 2012, Mr. Silvestro also helped modernize the Flight Options fleet with a mix of new and refurbished aircraft.
In 2013, Mr. Silvestro became CEO of Flexjet after its acquisition from Bombardier Aerospace by Directional Aviation. Mr. Silvestro is also a shareholder of the flying companies under Directional Aviation, whose principal is Kenn Ricci, the chairman of Flexjet.
Mr. Silvestro launched other initiatives at Flexjet, including its Red Label premium offering and investment in large-cabin aircraft. He implemented Global Access, which offers access to large-cabin aircraft for long-distance travel, especially intercontinental trips. Flexjet expanded international travel options, including Europe. Additionally, Flexjet began operating private terminals at select airports.
Mr. Silvestro graduated from the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and played football. He was only one of two non-scholarship players in his freshman class. He was coached by Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, the Notre Dame football player whose story inspired the movie Rudy.
In 2023, Silvestro was honored with the Living Legends of Aviation Lifetime Aviation Industry Award, reflecting contributions to the field over an entire career.
In addition to his career in aviation, Mr. Silvestro has founded several companies whose products range from polymer technology for athletic footwear to celebrity-endorsed personal products, including Spectrum Sports, a supplier of innersoles for athletic shoes. He has also invented and co-invented products such as an advanced shin guard for protection in football and other contact sports that was patented in 1984. Mr. Silvestro lives in Hudson, Ohio with his family.
Andrew Collins
Andrew Collins is the Chief Executive Officer of Flexjet and a lead executive in the company’s parent group with oversight of M&A, operations and revenue management activities.
With over 18 years in the industry, he has evolved group company Sentient Jet into the defining brand and global market leader in jet cards. Under his leadership as President and CEO, the company flourished to become a $450 million EBITDA-positive entity, benefiting from a digital and business model transformation, in addition to an organizational restructuring. This includes setting market, product and brand strategy, integrating a full suite of retail and wholesale technology applications, tripling sales, optimizing client acquisitions costs and significantly moving top-line revenues.
Mr. Collins has spearheaded some of the group’s key M&A activities in recent years, including the acquisition of Halo Aviation in London in 2021 which was integrated with the further acquisition of Associated Aircraft Group in NYC to form Flexjet’s helicopter division - creating a global fleet of helicopters and a platform for future of flight vertical lift. Inclusive with this effort was an order for eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) vehicles from Embraer’s EVE.
In 2018, Mr. Collins led the acquisition of jet card and private charter provider PrivateFly, a key milestone in the group’s expansion into Europe.
In recent years Mr. Collins has motivated a significant digital and technology transformation at Sentient Jet and across the group. This has included the creation of retail product, online consumer “touch points,” novel mobile applications and a brand-new, supply-side platform for driving further efficiencies in flight time procurement.
With his direction, Sentient Jet also leveraged its exclusive partnership program to include such leading, world-class brands as Aspen/Snowmass, Sotheby’s and YPO/WPO. In 2016, Sentient Jet became the first official private aviation partner ever for the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs.
Mr. Collins has been featured in a number of media outlets and forums including CNN, CNBC, Forbes, NBC and the Wall Street Journal. In 2016, Sentient Jet and Mr. Collins were featured in a Harvard Business School case study entitled “Sentient Jet: The Uber of Private Jets.”
He received his bachelor’s degree from Union College and master’s degree from the Sloan School of Management at MIT. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and the Wall Street Journal CEO Council.
Charles Starkowsky
In this role, Charles is responsible for the management of safety programs for all OneSky companies, including Flexjet, FXAIR and Sentient Jet. Working directly with the company’s Independent Safety Advisory Board, Charles oversees and advises on all safety practices organization wide. Until 2004, Charles handled ground security and training for Midwest Airlines. Before Midwest, he held the position of Flight Instructor at Alpha One Flight School in Plymouth, MA. Charles is a Certified Flight Instructor with both Land and Sea Ratings.
Charles received his B.S. in Aviation Science from Bridgewater State College, as well as a B.A. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.