Duncan Aviation's paint and interior teams in Lincoln, Nebraska recently took delivery of an outdated Citation 525 and have given it a flashy new paint scheme and matching interior makeover.

The project started with a complete paint that was based on a scheme the owner saw on a Phenom that had been refurbished previously by Duncan's Battle Creek, Michigan team. He wanted to recreate the look on his Citation. But the project didn't come without its challenges.

“Knowing that the customer wanted the red and black look on the exterior, we wanted to give him the scheme he desired,” says senior completions sales representative Angie Coleman. “However, these models of aircraft have solar reflective values that have to be met for the exterior paint. This meant our paint and design team had to work hard to find a good match of paint within the solar reflective paint formulas.”

Nevertheless, the team was able to achieve the colour and look the customer wanted, while still being able to deliver a beautiful and safe aircraft that met all the paint regulations.

The interior was very dated when the aircraft arrived. “The owner asked us to create an interior that would update the look and coincide with the existing materials being retained,” adds lead designer Carie Bruss. “He wanted to tie the new exterior paint in with the interior as well.”

The headliner and window panels are covered in a light, neutral tone. The main cabin veneer has a brown-toned stain with a slight hint of red undertone in a matte finish. The drinkrails and table inserts are covered in a warm red leather, and moving down, the lower sidewalls are draped in a contemporary diamond-patterned chenille fabric in charcoal grey. The main cabin seats are fitted in smooth, black leather highlighted with red accent stitching, and the seat belts are webbed in red to tie it all together. The floor of the aircraft is covered in a charcoal grey carpet with a simple pattern, and last but not least, the aft lavatory divider is covered with a beautiful classic two-tone red stripe fabric that ties everything together.

“It was stunning,” says Bruss. “Everything just flowed so nicely together, and the exterior tied into the interior beautifully.”

“The first time seeing the aircraft was definitely a 'wow' moment,” says vice president of Washington-based property management company The Toll Group Kjell Lindberg. “It's always a little nerve-racking picking finishes because you don't know how they will look together, but the Duncan Aviation team guided me through the process and assured me that the final product would turn out great. It certainly did.

“Duncan Aviation came highly recommended by our management team. We'll definitely be back with future aircraft.”