Founded on credibility.
A pilot and an enterprise platform builder. The two disciplines private aviation has always needed in the same room.
Founders
Michael Kent
Co-founder · Senior Captain
- ›20+ years on the flight deck
- ›American Airlines Captain, Airbus fleet
- ›Gulfstream Captain — corporate & private
- ›Type-rated across long-range business jets
- ›Deep industry relationships across US & Europe
Two decades in the cockpit across airline and corporate aviation. Michael brings the one thing every previous aviation platform lacked — first-hand credibility with the pilots the industry actually runs on, and a real network to seed the first cohort from.
Christopher Jones
Co-founder · COO
- ›16+ years enterprise platforms at the World Health Organization
- ›Digital transformation & product strategy
- ›AI, secure cloud & data architecture
- ›Global operations across regulated environments
Sixteen years designing enterprise platforms at WHO, working across regulated, global, security-sensitive environments. Chris's job is turning Michael's aviation network into infrastructure — scalable, verifiable, and trusted by flight departments and Fortune 500 operators.
Leads
Timothy Hodson
Lead · Strategy & Partnerships
- ›Master's in International Relations, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona)
- ›Cross-border strategy across US, EU and Asia-Pacific
- ›Regulatory affairs and stakeholder engagement
- ›Commercial partnerships with operators, FBOs and flight departments
International strategy and business development professional spanning consulting, regulatory affairs and commercial operations. At WingForte, Timothy leads partnerships with operators, FBOs and flight departments across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific — expanding the network through the right relationships, not the loudest ones. Based in Charleston, South Carolina.
Helena Stouvenel
Lead · Legal & Contract Administration
- ›Law degree, Universidad Icesi (Cali, Colombia)
- ›15+ years across Geneva notary firms and international diplomacy
- ›Contract drafting, document governance and secure archiving
- ›Trilingual client relations — English, French, Spanish
Trilingual legal and administrative professional with 15+ years in high-stakes environments including Geneva notary firms and international diplomacy. At WingForte, Helena leads contract administration, document governance and secure handling of pilot, operator and owner records — the discretion and precision private aviation demands. Based in Nyon, Switzerland.
Pilot credibility + enterprise platform experience.
Aviation startups usually have one or the other. A pilot with relationships but no platform. Or a platform team with no credibility on the ramp. WingForte Surface to Air™ is deliberately built by both — because trust with pilots and enterprise-grade infrastructure are the same product.
"We're not building another charter app. We're building the foundation for the people who actually fly the aircraft. If pilots trust it, the industry follows."
— Michael Kent