Duncan Aviation has completed the first PC-24 paint project outside of a Pilatus production facility. The aircraft was repainted at Duncan Aviation’s full-service facility in Lincoln, Nebraska to better meet the owner’s style.
“As the leader in painting business jet aircraft, we often take on the challenge to be the first to provide paint services on newer business jet models,” said Adam Beach, completions and modifications sales rep at Duncan Aviation. “It requires a trusted team to perform the additional research and planning on the front end to make sure all of the requirements for the aircraft are met.”
Duncan Aviation shared that the owner was understanding with the extra time required to plan for the PC-24 as it was the first to be repainted in the aftermarket. “He gave us his full trust to complete the project and provide him with a design and quality paint completion to meet his expectations,” said Beach. “He was a great partner throughout the entire process.”
Brandon Mares, paint team leader at Duncan Aviation, said having an open-minded customer who is willing to assist makes these situations much easier. The customer knew he wanted the company to paint his aircraft, and had confidence the extra planning would pay off.
Duncan Aviation paint team leader Cody Hasse walked through and detailed the entire paint process with the owner, giving a clear definition of what the paint process included and what the expectations would be.
During the planning and research, Duncan Aviation noted guidance in the maintenance manual that chemical stripper could not be used. To adjust to the manufacturer’s requirements, the decision was made to mechanically sand off the old paint by hand.
The paint team was proud to complete the project exactly in line with the customer’s expectations. Mares described this project as a true team effort. “We had open communication and navigated together throughout the entire process,” said Mares. “Every team member brought their A-game. Weeks before the aircraft arrived, we had already started chipping away, asking the right questions and getting the information we needed to properly plan for the work. We took great care making sure everyone was on the same page.”
Mares said this project shows the commitment, knowledge and experience that Duncan Aviation team members have, and that each team member can take a little pride knowing they were behind the success of this project.
Duncan Aviation project manager Janet Beazley said she kept calm and worked through each challenge as it arose. “We did this as a team,” said Beazley. “It’s not just one person. We all had to rely on one another to bounce ideas off one another. It was a fun and challenging project, and I’m glad we could deliver the aircraft to a happy customer as he understood all the challenges involved!”
Hardy Hay, director of maintenance/chief pilot with Det 9 Aviation, was more than pleased at the time of delivery. “Being a new design aircraft to the industry with very little history, this turned out to be a challenging project,” he said. “Janet (Beazley) and her team took the responsibility very seriously, preparing and finishing the aircraft. I’ve had other aircraft painted by other companies in the past, but the professional service I received from the hospitality suite, fuel, maintenance, project coordination and all the way until delivery was impeccable. Janet and her team went above and beyond coordinating with Pilatus service centres, Pilatus in Switzerland and Pilatus North America in Colorado to ensure every process was done according to the Pilatus aircraft specifications. I will only use Duncan Aviation to paint my aircraft from this point forward.”
