New Plumage for a Distinguished Bird

Having happened across a Falcon 900EX with an unusual cabin layout, a party familiar with Duncan Aviation and the excellent work for which the company is renowned glimpsed in the old Dassault an exceptional aircraft waiting, with the preternatural patience peculiar to machines, to actualize the fullness of its potential.

Duncan sales manager Nate Klenke stated: “This project was a massive undertaking. Nearly everything in the aircraft, from entry to aft, was new or required some level of modification. It demanded detailed planning throughout from the initial call to scale the size and associated costs of the project, to the design and engineering, the day-to-day management, the consistent attention to detail and the final installation.”

Client Director of Maintenance Robert Tod revealed the Falcon 900EX was the fifth multi-million dollar aircraft project his company has entrusted to Duncan Aviation.

“This was a total exterior and interior refurbishment,” Mr. Tod remarked. “The end product was, as expected, top-notch. Thanks to Duncan Aviation and the designers, engineers, and technicians that were involved with this project!”

To the subject of the Falcon 900EX’s owner and his vision for the aircraft, Duncan Aviation lead designer Stephanie Kuhn set forth: “The Duncan Aviation Design team in Lincoln, Nebraska has renovated multiple aircraft for him through the years. He has an experienced eye for design and style and takes all of the details into consideration. We embraced his openness to big ideas and suggestions, and he carefully considered all of the team’s suggestions and ideas. Working with someone like this always makes a project more exciting and fun.”

Ms. Kuhn  continued: “We began the process with visualization boards. The boards consisted of concept drawings and inspirational images that created an overall mood or concept. The owner’s response to certain details and feedback helped to set the tone and refine the overall design.” 

The Falcon’s owner, having been provided multiple 3D illustrations of seat designs incorporating custom-quilted patterns, offered creative input vis-à-vis the aircraft’s cabin seat design. Once subject design was approved, the quilting was produced on Duncan Aviation’s automated quilting machine—one of many in-house capabilities.

The reimagined Falcon 900EX comprised a veritable symphony of details cleverly envisaged and expertly executed. The cabin’s lower sidewall was covered in a luxurious suede featuring a foil-fused overlay that added luster enough to make a statement whilst averting ostentation. The suede’s pattern was meticulously laid out by Duncan’s skilled team with Kuhn’s guidance. 

Each section of the Falcon’s cabin was rendered visually discrete by dint of subtle color-changes to furnishings. Harmony, however, was maintained insomuch as the aircraft’s distinctive zones remain complementary each to the other.

A blue carbon-fiber theme born of the Duncan finishing shop’s hydrographic capabilities was employed throughout the Falcon’s lavatory. Even the toilet-seat lid was graced with a custom-embroidered design.  

Duncan senior Falcon completions & modifications sales representative Tracey Boesch asserted: “When doing a complete Falcon interior with a couple of our key upgrades, including our Duncan Aviation-designed PSU [Passenger Service Unit] overlay panels and our drink-rail modernization, we provide our Finishing Touches hardware package to complete the interior transformation. This provides a unified look with the same profile and style so that the handles in the galley, lavatory, window shades and drink-rail lids are harmonious throughout the aircraft.” 

The Falcon 900EX’s OEM aft cabin/lavatory door was modified to swing both forward and aft while maintaining its original door handle mechanism. The divider and door jambs were modified to allow the dual-swing function. The new bid-directional door provides enhanced safety by affording crew-members access to the lavatory compartment in the event of passenger or aircraft emergency.

Additionally, the Falcon 900EX received new Duncan Aviation-designed PSU overlay panels, bright, energy-efficient ALI (Aircraft Lighting International) LED lighting, state-of-the-art audio/video and VPN connections with reliable, high-speed internet connectivity provided by Gogo’s AVANCE L5 connectivity solution.

Externally, the aircraft was fitted with a new pair of Aviation Partners’ API blended-winglets and refreshed with a new livery featuring the selfsame blues, grays, and whites by which the cabin’s decorative motif is characterized.

Mr. Klenke looks upon the completed Falcon 900EX as a testament to the expertise and artisanship of the Duncan Aviation team, stating: “On projects of this magnitude, everything we do affects other things in the aircraft, from ambience to function. New, modern sidewalls and drink-rails affect airflow and circulation, wiring, and system interfaces. There are many layers of connectedness and industry regulations that need to be traversed when creating aircraft interiors of this scope. When you finally see everything come together as intended, the feeling of pride and accomplishment is nearly overwhelming. A customer who expresses appreciation and loves the final product is the cherry on top.” 

FMI: www.duncanaviation.aero