Flying Colours, the
North American MRO, refurbishment and completions specialist, has
delivered an enhanced carbon-copy of the innovative red, white and
black carbon fiber cabin, that was originally designed for a
Bombardier Challenger 850 in 2013.
The same customer’s
pre-owned Bombardier Global Express, left the Canadian company’s
Peterborough facility this week, having received an equivalent
makeover.
To faithfully emulate
the stylish cabin appearance Flying Colours designers referred to
the first design, and made a number of engineering and style
adjustments.
“Everything may
seem the same, but a lot is very different,” said
Eric Gillespie
Executive VP, Flying Colours, “We had to take into consideration the
larger cabin, the different type of usage, and the high standards of
the Global, to recreate the same look and feel.”
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The 2017
Global interior mirrors the 2013 Challenger design. |
The floorplan was
modified to accommodate a new configuration in the mid-section per
customer request. Two seats opposite the central divan were replaced
with a four-seat conference group incorporating new Rockwell Collins
Global seats. The shape of the existing cabin seats’ head and arm
rest were changed, and the seat-swab made larger, to match the newly
installed mid-cabin layout. All the seats were upholstered in pure
white leather with a carbon fiber armrest accent.
The cherry-red divan,
which provides a splash of colour in the mid-cabin, is complemented
by a second black three-seat divan in the aft section. The original
fabrics for the seating and soft furnishing were replaced with new,
improved materials to support the increased usage the Global range
allows.
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Existing
seats underwent modifications to meet the design
requirements. |
Behind the scenes,
the installation of Honeywell’s Ka band JetWave system required the
addition of an aft LRU radome and antenna, to radically update the
connectivity. Faster, richer data transfer, enables live streaming,
and WiFi access across multiple personal devices throughout the
cabin.
Monuments comprise
predominantly black and grey carbon fiber veneer, finished with an
ebony wood edging. The colour scheme continues through the upgraded
galley and washroom which feature bright white countertops. Tai
Ping’s handmade carpet, showcases a white branch design providing
definition to the black background. Throughout the cabin satin
nickel finishing on all the metal work complements the elegant
style.
“The devil was in the
detail with this aircraft,” says Gillespie. “We had to retain the
original look which meant ensuring a lot of the updates were
essentially invisible. It speaks volumes that our design engineers
and installation technicians can adapt an interior for what is
essentially a completely different airframe. It also highlights that
our designers have a talent for staying ahead of the trend curve as
the cabin looks as fresh and exciting today as when we first showed
it to the client four years ago. That’s not an easy feat to
achieve.”
On completion, the
exterior displayed a new customised paint scheme featuring a
distinctive charcoal grey and gold scheme. Flying Colours also
conducted the pre-buy inspection and customer-requested maintenance
inspections, which ran in parallel with the interior modifications.
Completed at the
Peterborough facility, the project took approximately six months to
realise. “The customer was clearly delighted with our initial
design, which was one of the industry’s first to feature so much
carbon fiber, and is extremely pleased with the new-look Global.
Refurbing the cabin has given him an as-new aircraft, completely
personalised to his taste, within a short timeline and budget. It
shows how much you can achieve with great design and engineering. We
don’t often get to repeat, and improve a design. We are already
looking forward to the next version,” adds Gillespie. |