From simple upholstery upgrade options for a legacy business jet to the bespoke cabins of new VIP airliners, the world of interior possibilities—and fantasies—is on display at NBAA. Whether planning a green completion, considering a minor refurb, or researching interior design tips and trends, you’ve come to the right place.
LED lighting is among the aftermarket’s hottest interior upgrades, and Elliott Aviation (Booth C6908; IS14)—known for refurbishments of midsize and lighter business aircraft—is showcasing its new Prizm LED cabin lighting and electronically dimmable Smart Vision Shades systems—both developed in house by sister company Elliott Technologies. The Prizm system provides both white and full spectrum RGB, or “mood” lighting for the same price range that competitive systems charge for white alone, said Mark Wilken, v-p of avionics programs and operational logistics. Having used the systems for its own refurbishment clients, the company is establishing manufacturing capability and a dealer/installer network.
When upgrading to a larger airframe, 3D renderings can help buyers understand the expanded interior design possibilities a larger cabin provides, said Veta Traxler, paint and interior lead designer at West Star Aviation (Booth N4123; N3617). Attendees can see examples of these design tools and images of the resulting cabins in Las Vegas. Traxler said such renderings, which allow viewers to “walk through” and manipulate spaces, “really give the customer the idea of what it’s going to look like, instead of just putting material in front of them.” The Alton, Illinois-based MRO recently deployed renderings for a former midsize Citation owner who is planning a Gulfstream GIV cabin. The client brought his residential designer to West Star’s Grand Junction, Colorado design center to view the renderings and refine the plans.
In the wake of an extensive fabric research project, Michigan’s Pentastar Aviation (Booth N5212) is now using hand-woven textiles and carpets exclusively, rather than mass-produced materials, for covering divans and floors in its large-cabin refurbishments. Hand-woven fabrics have a “thicker type of consistency, provide a lot of comfort,” and also allow more personalization, said director of interiors Gordon Ross. Pentastar “spends a lot of time doing R&D on wood finishes and techniques” as well, Ross said. All the skill sets came into play on recent major refurbishments of a Gulfstream G450 and G550, and Bombardier Global Express, including soft goods replacement and refinished veneers, in addition to LED lighting and new Wi-Fi connectivity systems. Upgraded sound insulation packages are also becoming more in demand, Ross said.
Downtime for avionics upgrades creates a great opportunity for cabin enhancements, said Scott McCool, v-p Interiors at Cleveland-based Constant Aviation, and he reported many customers opting for the company’s Challenger 604XT Pro Line Fusion flight deck upgrade are simultaneously getting interior work done, including new carpet, upholstery, wood refinishing and even cabin reconfigurations. FANS 1A and new cabin-management systems are often part of the work scope, McCool said. Over the past year, Constant, the refurbishment division of Directional Aviation Capital, has also redesigned, reconfigured and refurbed two Bombardier Global 6000s and three Gulfstreams (a G650 and two G450s).
Duncan Aviation is expanding westward with the transition of its Provo, Utah MRO center into the company’s third full-service facility, adding a paint bay, and completion and refurbishment services to its offerings. (It joins Duncan’s Lincoln, Nebraska headquarters and Battle Creek, Michigan locations.) The paint facility completed its first project in May—a metallic black-to-charcoal fade on a Global 5000. For the same project, the cabinetry/finish shop created interchangeable table inserts that allow the owner “to customize the flight experience” with inserts highlighting seasons, logos, and special events, said Duncan’s manager of completions service sales Nate Klenke. Provo also offers Hydrographic finishing for interior components that can mimic looks including wood grain, stone, metals and custom designs, without weight or engineering restrictions.
European and Asian operators can take advantage of expanded offerings from Bombardier specialist Flying Colours Corp (C7215). Celebrating 30 years in business, the Canadian company is completing upgrades at its St. Louis, Missouri and Peterborough, Ontario facilities that, while accommodating growing domestic demand, will allow the company “to get more international and bring European clients to North America,” said executive v-p Eric Gillespie. The capabilities, turn times and pricing “will make it a good value proposition for heavy inspections and modifications,” Gillespie said.
Asia-Pacific Challenger and Global operators can benefit from Bombardier’s renewal this year of a refurbishment-services agreement with Flying Colours’ recently expanded facility at Singapore’s Seletar Airport, co-located with Bombardier’s own service center. Four full and three partial refurbishments on Challenger and Global jets have been completed at the facility to date.
Customers keen to combine Old World craftsmanship with state-of-the art cabin technology appreciate Basel-based Jet Aviation’s emphasis on in-house capabilities that cover “almost every element of the completions process,” said Jeremie Caillet, v-p of VIP completion programs. “Upholstery, carpentry, electrics, sheet metal work, paint, and installation are all performed in Basel.”
With each custom completion, new skills and technologies are in development, and Jet Aviation’s prototyping process “allows production to test drive any new ideas and present them to customers for sign-off before final production begins,” Caillet said. "The customer can raise queries or make changes before production of the final cabin begins, making it much quicker and more efficient to implement any alterations." He added prototyping is particularly helpful when working with an external design firm “that doesn't have day-to-day contact with the Jet Aviation workshops.”
For those who like to know a firm believes in what it sells, Citadel Completions (Booth N2635) represents the ultimate “I liked the product so much, I had to buy the company” story: After taking delivery of the refurbished VIP ACJ340-500 they commissioned, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and family purchased the MRO that performed the upgrade at Louisiana’s Chennault International Airport. Opened last year, rebranded Citadel Completions delivered in May its second BBJ project, a full interior refreshment of a 737-700.
Adding to approvals from the FAA, EASA, and Bermuda’s Civil Aviation Authority, in July the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority issued an Approved Maintenance Organization Certification, authorizing Citadel to conduct maintenance and modification on aircraft registered in the UAE, home base for a considerable fleet of VIP airliners.
Add Aeria Luxury Interiors (Booth N4831) to the list of narrow-body VIP airliner refurbishment specialists. The San Antonio, Texas-based company, known for its green completions, delivered in the second quarter its first such makeover, a tip-to-tail BBJ refreshment for a Los Angeles charter operator. (Aeria performed its first widebody refurb in 2013.) All wood surfaces were “enhanced,” seat and interior panels reupholstered, the carpet was replaced and faux wood flooring installed, said Ron Soret, Aeria’s general manager of completions. A lounge for six with hand-crafted, automated hi-low white oak tables featuring satin nickel-plated detailing was added to the aft cabin.
Aloft AeroArchitects’ Engineering, Certification and ODA Services division specializes in complex projects that go hand-in-hand with the company’s VIP completions. Last year, Delaware-based Aloft (Booth N3810) received 28 supplemental type certificates (STCs) covering installations from in-cabin wireless systems to external vortex generators—even conversion of a Boeing 737-300 to a fire-tanker. All STCs are focused on “achieving the certification goal in the most cost-effective and efficient way,” said Aloft president Robert Sundin. Some 40 projects are currently in the works.
Switzerland’s Comlux Aviation (Booth N5823), which handles all facets of VIP airliners, is “focused on completions” at NBAA, said founder and chairman Richard Gaona, and attendees can see its interior work first hand: Comlux Completion, its purpose-built facility in Indianapolis, did the interior in the aircraft that Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ; Booth N5216) has on static display at Henderson Executive Airport.
Comlux has just ordered its fourth ACJ320neo, and 20th ACJ purchase overall, and Comlux Completion will perform all the outfittings. (Comlux, through its acquisitions division, purchases ACJs on behalf of its completion customers, and for its owned and operated VIP charter fleet.) The first neo is in Indianapolis now and scheduled for redelivery in March.
The first BBJ Max is also in the facility, with completion awaiting resolution of certification issues that have grounded the model. Gaona said the neo completions and MRO work represent two years of projects, and “we are recruiting people.”
Commitments precluded Gaona’s NBAA attendance, but in addition to completions, Comlux’s transaction, management, and charter teams are on site.
For heads of state seeking the latest technology for their VVIP widebody completion, Fort Worth, Texas-based GDC Technics (Booth 5207) this year delivered a pair of BBJ 787s to an undisclosed state customer. The work incorporates important firsts, said CEO Brad Foreman: Arinc 791 Ka-band antennas, and live TV. The completions also feature state-of-the-art Iridium and Satcom antennas; forward-looking, downward-zoom, and tail cameras; humidification system and therapeutic O2 discharge ports; and insulation that lowers Sound Interface Levels (SIL) to 47.5 dB—comparable to levels on the ground. Interior weight was 20 percent below industry-standard estimates, “providing our client with an operational advantage and fuel savings,” Foreman added.
GDC arrives under new ownership this year, following its February assumption by Oriole Capital Group, Trive Capital, and Maz Aviation. The new ownership “broadens GDC’s market reach and industry expertise,” said Maz Aviation chairman Mohammad Alzeer at the announcement, calling 2019 “a transformative year for the company.”
