Whether he’s decking out a political candidate’s campaign jet from nose to tail in red, white and blue or brokering a private plane to shuttle uber-wealthy vacationers to Martha’s Vineyard or Aspen, Colorado, Gregg Brunson-Pitts gets his clients where they need to go in style.
A resident of Arlington’s Williamsburg neighborhood, Brunson-Pitts founded his company, Advanced Aviation Team (AAT), in 2015 after serving as director of the White House Travel Office during the George W. Bush administration. AAT doesn’t own or lease aircraft; instead, its superpower is logistics. Politicos routinely rely on the team to make all of the arrangements to fly candidates—and their entourage of staff, press, security and donors—to campaign stops across the nation.
This includes chartering planes, configuring cabin layouts and overseeing aircraft graphics and branding. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, AAT emblazoned the exterior of Joe Biden’s 737-500 campaign jet with the Biden-Harris logo and the slogan “Battle for the Soul of the Nation.” Inside, the seats were arranged to promote social distancing.
“We pride ourselves on [seeing] our clients through from the beginning of the trip to the end,” Brunson-Pitts says.
Those clients have included candidates on both sides of the aisle, from Florida’s Ron DeSantis to Vermont’s Bernie Sanders.
If a campaign tour goes smoothly (logistically, at least), that means Brunson-Pitts and his team are doing their jobs well. One of the trickiest types of campaign flights they’ve pulled off is for the announcement of a presidential running mate. “That is always a very clandestine, interesting operation,” he says. “Coordinating the VP announcement is obviously very sensitive. We don’t even know who the person is [until the last minute].”
In 2024, AAT organized the flight that delivered Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to Philadelphia for his official announcement as Kamala Harris’ vice presidential pick. Twelve years earlier, while working for an air charter company, Brunson-Pitts did the same for U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan when he joined the Mitt Romney ticket.
Flying With the President
Coordinating travel for presidential teams is nothing new to Brunson-Pitts, but how he landed in this career astounds even him.
He was a student at Bowling Green State University—majoring in political science, history and constitutional law—when he landed a White House internship in 2002. After graduation, he found work on Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign, which had him traveling the country and abroad, handling advance prep and organizing public events.
He proved so capable that he was quickly promoted after the inauguration. “I was offered a job directing the White House Travel Office, and I had no idea what that was,” he says with a laugh. “But when you’re offered a job at the White House, you don’t turn it down.”
There was one catch, however: “I didn’t really have a background in aviation,” he admits. But he was a quick learner.
His main responsibility was managing the charter aircraft that traveled alongside Air Force One—the planes that carried the White House press corps, Secret Service personnel and staff members who didn’t travel aboard the presidential aircraft.
One trip stands out in his memory above all the others: a 2008 visit to five African nations with President Bush to promote the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, commonly known as PEPFAR. “It was really important to him, and I loved the policy, so that was a really special trip,” Brunson-Pitts says. “Visiting countries such as Ghana and Liberia and seeing firsthand the impact the program was having on people’s lives was remarkable. It made a lasting impression on me.”
When Bush left office in January 2009, Brunson-Pitts stayed on briefly to help the incoming Obama team transition its travel operations. Jobs with several private aviation companies followed until he decided to strike out on his own.
All About the Details
Though AAT’s initial focus was on political candidates and elected officials, the company’s scope has evolved over the years to include corporate executives and well-heeled private clients. As with public figures, attention to detail is everything.
Whether it’s nervous flyers or tumultuous weather, AAT is there every step of the way, he says. “We’re constantly sending updates, seeing around all the corners and answering all the questions.” Nantucket and other exclusive Northeastern beach communities are popular in the summer months, while winter travelers often head to the Caribbean.
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Ever discreet, Brunson-Pitts is tight-lipped about the cost of AAT’s services. He says the price depends on factors such as food catering and whether a flight attendant is requested. (But for comparison, direct competitor Global Charter lists the price of a small plane from Washington, D.C., to Martha’s Vineyard starting at $5,700.)
Some chartered flights depart from Dulles International Airport, while others take off from Washington Manassas Airport or Leesburg Executive Airport, which are smaller and easier to navigate, he says.
He still does a lot of his job above 30,000 feet, traveling to destinations both international and domestic to supervise the preparation of aircraft his clients will use. But he flies commercial to get there.
How does that feel after orchestrating so many cushy private flights? “It’s frustrating, but it is what it is,” he says with a shrug.
When he’s not in the air, he cherishes his time at home in Arlington, where he lives with his husband, Brooks Brunson-Pitts, and their two children, ages 8 and 10. On weekends, the family enjoys bicycling around Westover or eating at their favorite French bistro, Café Colline.
“I lived in D.C. for the longest time, and then my husband and I had our first child, so we moved to Arlington in early 2016,” he says. “It’s really a great place to raise a family.” How time flies.
Barbara Ruben is a writer and editor in Kensington, Maryland who flies coach.
