Glenn Gonzales, co-founder and CEO of Greensboro-based private jet fractional ownership company Jet It, has been recognized for his industry-changing efforts by receiving the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's Brigadier Gen. Charles E. McGee Aviation Inspiration Award.
The award honors the life and legacy of Gen. McGee, best known for his role with the Tuskegee Airmen, the Army Air Corps' first African-American fighter squadron. The honor is bestowed on the aviator who best lives up to the ideals of McGee through encouraging and inspiring generations to come.
"To receive an award named after a man of Gen. Magee's accomplishments is humbling,” said Gonzales, who also serves as president of Jet It's sister company, Jet Club. “The number of positive contributions he made to our society regarding race relations, excellence and mentorship are the reason that Jet It can exist. As a personal friend and mentor, I am eternally grateful to his legacy.”
Gonzales, a decorated U.S. Air Force veteran and Lt. Col. in the USAF Reserves, has become a disruptor in private air travel. He also had a personal relationship with McGee, and In 2018 took McGee on a Jet It plane to celebrate his 99th birthday. It was the first time the fighter pilot took the controls of an aircraft in 37 years.
The McGee award is just the latest honor for Gonzales, who along with partner Vishal Hiremath founded Jet It in 2017. Last year, they were named by Ernst and Young as Southeast Entrepreneurs of the Year.