Dan Drohan to receive the "Kenn Ricci Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award"

Dan Drohan, the founder of Solairus Aviation and a leader in managing and operating private aircraft, received the "Kenn Ricci Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award" at the 20th Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards at the Beverly Hilton last week.

The Living Legends of Aviation was created to honor accomplishments in aviation. Past Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award winners include Sir Richard Branson, Founder and President of Virgin Group and Jeff Bezos founder and CEO of Amazon and Founder of space exploration company, Blue Origin.

Aviation has been a constant thread throughout Dan’s life. As a pre-teen, Dan worked line service and office duties at a small Northern California airport. By age 17 he had attained his private pilot certificate; by age 19 he had launched Sunset Aviation, an air tour company operating flights over Wine Country and the San Francisco Bay Area in a Beechcraft Baron. Sunset grew over the next 15 years into a robust regional Part 135 operator, eventually operating a small fleet of jet and turboprop aircraft from a network of bases throughout California.

In 2009, Dan launched Solairus Aviation with a team of talented and renowned aviation leaders. Fourteen years later, Solairus today manages and operates one of the world’s largest fleets of business jets, supported by one of the most experienced and well-regarded teams in the industry.

“I am profoundly honored by this recognition,” Drohan said. “This recognition is as much about Solairus and what we have accomplished as a team as it is about any individual. I am incredibly proud of every member of Solairus and the important role they have played in building and sustaining our company over the last 14 years,” Drohan continued.