Business Aviation Leader OneSky Flight to Expand Embry-Riddle Student Career Exposure through Innovation Center Growth

The OneSky Flight Innovation Center at the Embry-Riddle Research Park will expand in size and student programming, with a goal to offer relevant experiences that expose students to a broad array of lucrative career opportunities in the business aviation industry.

An Embry-Riddle Research Park partner since 2017, the OneSky Innovation Center plans a nearly five-fold expansion of its existing space in the business incubator’s cornerstone facility, the John Mica Engineering and Aerospace Innovation Center (MicaPlex). Under a new agreement with Embry-Riddle, OneSky’s Research Park footprint will encompass office and research space; meeting areas to stimulate transformative thinking by student organizations; and a student lounge – complete with a coffee bar – to promote collaboration and introduce students to the business aviation industry.

OneSky Flight is the world’s leading portfolio of business aviation companies and includes iconic industry brands such as Flexjet (a global leader in fractional jet ownership) and Sentient Jet (the company that created the jet card).  

“As a company that is almost exclusively focused on business aviation, we believe there is a great opportunity to expose students to exceptional career paths that they might not have been aware of previously,” said OneSky Flight’s Chief Administrative Officer Robert Sullivan. “Business Aviation as a profession offers many unique advantages relative to traditional commercial aviation career paths that we believe will be appealing to a large number of students as they prepare to enter the professional workforce.”

Embry-Riddle President Dr. P. Barry Butler noted that the university’s mission is well served through the partnership with OneSky. “We have been honored to collaborate with OneSky to broaden career opportunities for our students and provide an important talent pipeline for industry,” Butler said. “As the global leader in aviation and aerospace higher education, Embry-Riddle’s top priority is to prepare students for productive careers and leadership roles in the field. Our partnership with OneSky advances excellence in education while also addressing workforce needs.”

As part of the relationship, OneSky’s Management Information System department offers business aviation-focused internship opportunities to Embry Riddle students who are pursuing their degrees. Recent projects have included the development of artificial intelligence algorithms related to advanced demand modeling for the OneSky operating companies. The internship program reached an exciting milestone this past month when several former interns were hired as full-time employees with OneSky companies following their graduation.

Embry-Riddle Media Contact:

Ginger Pinholster, Associate Vice President, Embry-Riddle, (386) 226-4811 / virginia.pinholster@erau.edu

OneSky Media Contact:

Nicholas Parmelee, The Hubbell Group, Inc., (216) 406-5602 (mobile) / nparmelee@hubbellgroup.com

About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

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About OneSky

OneSky encompasses the flying companies of Directional Aviation: Flexjet, Sentient Jet, FXAIR and PrivateFly.

• Flexjet has offered fractional jet ownership and leasing since 1995. Flexjet’s fractional aircraft program is the first in the world to be recognized as achieving the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s Industry Audit Standard, is the first and only company to be honored with 22 FAA Diamond Awards for Excellence, upholds an ARG/US Platinum Safety Rating, a 4AIR Bronze Sustainable Rating and is IS-BAO compliant at Level 2. In 2015, Flexjet introduced Red Label by Flexjet, which features the youngest fleet in the industry, flight crews dedicated to a single aircraft and the LXi Cabin Collection of interiors. The U.S.-based fleet includes the Embraer Phenom 300, Legacy 450 and Praetor 500, Bombardier Challenger 350, the Gulfstream G450, G650 and G700. Flexjet’s European fleet includes the Embraer Legacy 500, Praetor 600. 
• Sentient Jet offers 25-hour jet cards, which allow clients to purchase flight time on four jet-size options. Founded in 1999 and now an integral part of Directional Aviation, Sentient Jet is one of the leading private aviation companies in the country. Sentient Jet is known for outstanding service and a commitment to safety programs, including the industry’s first and only Independent Safety Advisory Board. Sentient Jet’s extensive network of certified operators ensures that clients will always have access to executive aircraft that meet their rigorous standards for safety and quality. 
• FXAIR was in 2020 and is the only charter provider offering on-demand charter access to premium light cabin, mid cabin, super mid cabin, large cabin and ultra-long range aircraft including the Challenger 300 and Global Express. FXAIR’s Aviator Program offers clients preferred access to these aircraft, even on peak travel days, along with a host of other benefits. The FXAIR network of aircraft comes from providers who meet the most stringent safety standards in the private aviation industry, standards that often exceed the FAA’s regulations. FXAIR is headquartered in New York, New York. 
• PrivateFly is a leading international provider of premium private jet charter solutions and jet cards, and part of Directional Aviation. With thousands of accredited aircraft integrated worldwide, PrivateFly combines innovative technology with a team of aviation experts - making it faster and easier to arrange a private jet, wherever and whenever you want to fly.  
• Halo provides bespoke helicopter and private urban air mobility travel services in the United States and the United Kingdom. Formed through the alignment of Halo Aviation Ltd. in the U.K. and Associated Aircraft Group (AAG) in the U.S., Halo offers transportation in the leading helicopter types in their class piloted by instrument-rated pilots. In the U.K., Halo offers vertical lift via charter, card, fractional ownership and full ownership-management programs. Its fleet of Agusta/Leonardo AW109 and AW169 helicopters dispatch from bases in the south of England, around London, the Midlands and in the Channel Islands. In the U.S., Halo provides helicopter charter, fractional ownership and helicopter maintenance services from its New York, Teterboro, Bridgeport, Providence and Philadelphia installations.  
• Tuvoli is an open technology platform for the private aviation industry that connects brokers and operators of charter aircraft, enhancing relationships, improving efficiency and facilitating transactions with instant guaranteed payments for flight services. Tuvoli, which combines the Italian words “tu voli,” or “you fly,” builds on Directional Aviation’s strong track record of industry-leading innovation, a multimillion-dollar investment in technology development and real-world testing of the platform.