Flying With Flair

Forget all those big-time hip-hop parties in Midtown with their bling-bling and their Jay-Zs and their Ice-Ts and their Q-Tips; the real parties are in East Farmingdale, hosted by charter airline companies.

[Talon Air Inc.], a charter airline based at Republic Airport in East Farmingdale that caters to America’s most affluent clientele, recently [threw a bash](http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzair0727,0,3699612.story?coll=ny-business-leadheadlines) for 300 people in its private hangar at Republic. The gatherers looked on in awe as the airline flaunted its line of 15 luxury jets and hosted a tennis match between Hall-of-Fame tennis stars Pete Sampras (pictured) and Jim Courier. Pristine Maseratis, which also filled the hangar, added a little extra color and opulence to the proceedings, as Talon unveiled the first 2008 GranTurismo prototype in North America.

Talon founder Alan Katz said the company has about 300 to 400 individuals—made up of entertainers, athletes and executives—who use its services year round and the company pledges to protect their anonymity. And clearly, the best way to keep things on the down-low is to throw massive parties with world-class athletes and the most ostentatious transportation money can buy.