June 10th, 2026 | Season 3 Episode 23 Companion

Listen to the Podcast: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

The pair who built Marquis Jet and scaled Wheels Up past a billion in revenue are back with a new platform, and they came on the show to tell us where it is headed.

Kenny Dichter and Robert Withers have been in business aviation for more than two decades, and there are not many people who can say they helped birth two of the products that shaped modern private aviation. They pitched a bite-size NetJets card to Warren Buffett in 2001, they took Wheels Up public, and now they are building the REAL family of companies, a platform that pairs charter with corporate hospitality and sports technology. We sat down for a wide-ranging unscripted conversation about how they got here, what they learned the hard way, and why they think the runway in front of private aviation is still long. Sit back and buckle up, because this one covered a lot of ground.

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This week, we caught up with Kenny Ditcher and Robert Withers on their latest venture, REAL Jets. It was a revealing conversation, starting with what Kenny learned from the Oracle of Omaha while selling small bites of a fractional aircraft (the origins of ‘democratization’), to creating the industry’s first Unicorn valuation in public markets at Wheels Up, and the third act, Real SLX.

It wasn’t long ago that the idea of a publicly traded private jet company felt almost impossible, outside of the manufacturers that actually built the aircraft for the industry, and the military. But Kenny and Robert pushed that boundary, turning a niche, relationship-driven business into something far more visible and public.

Along the way, there are stories of investments in aviation-themed tequila and green juice cleanses, but no matter what, the mentors that taught them capital markets and the relationship they’ve maintained helped them sell billions in charter flights, one dollar at a time.

Today’s Newsletter is also brought to you by REAL JET

RealJet is built on a simple idea: real people and real relationships still matter in private aviation. In a market full of automation, RealJet puts a subject matter expert at every turn, with world-class communication and a safety operation that has put boots on the ground at dozens of operators.

When you fly with RealJet, you are not a transaction. You are part of a community that has been serving private flyers for more than twenty-five years.

Learn More At realjet.com

Jessie’s Links:
Private Aviation Safety Alliance
FlyVizor
LinkedIn

Preston’s Links:
Prestige Aircraft Finance
Private Jet Insider (Newsletter)
LinkedIn
X (Formerly Known as Twitter)
FastJets