Duncan Aviation has unveiled a Falcon 50 it recently updated with a full interior refurbishment; new exterior paint; and aft cabin reconfiguration including the installation of a new divan; avionics upgrades; winglets; and LED lighting.
After the aircraft’s pre-purchase evaluation was completed at Duncan Aviation’s facility at Battle Creek, Michigan, the team immediately began the transformation process. The first-time customer told Tiffany Buschini, senior completions and modifications sales rep, that they had heard about the quality of work Duncan Aviation provides and the reputation the company has, and that they didn’t want to take the aircraft anywhere else.
Cabin reconfiguration
Buschini explained that as part of the refurbishment, the owners wanted to add a divan. To meet their request, they removed the existing right-hand aft single seats, and installed a right-hand, three-place divan. The team also replaced the pull-up jump seat with a side-facing jump seat.
“They had explained to me that the flight attendant had expressed concern about sitting on a pull-up jump seat,” said Buschini. “To create a more comfortable and enjoyable experience, we added a side-facing jump seat. This also creates more space for the crew to get in and out of the flight deck when someone is seated in the jump seat.”
Complete refresh and additions
Buschini explained that the interior wasn’t necessarily in poor condition when it arrived at the Duncan Aviation facility, but the new owners wanted a complete refresh, and they wanted to personalise it to fit their tastes. The result is a modern and striking interior that has a few unique additions.
For example, Duncan Aviation team designed and customised the cupholders and galley inserts to hold handmade pottery mugs that the owner’s friend creates.
“Our Cabinet Shop built a custom-fit insert to store these mugs in a galley drawer,” said designer Jack Bauder. “We also created the concept for a multi-level cupholder, which can accommodate both these mugs or highball glasses in a single unit.”
The Duncan Aviation Engineering team developed the measurements and drawings for production, which Duncan Aviation’s Duncan Manufacturing Solutions team then produced in-house. The custom cupholders were installed throughout the cabin and include a specific spot to put the passengers’ lowball whiskey glasses and highball glasses. “This is just another example of how Duncan Aviation can harness our in-house capabilities to fit our customers’ specific needs,” said Buschini.
The team also made modifications to the interior by removing the existing mirrors and trim in the lavatory and adding custom light covers to give it a more modern look. New LED lighting makes the area brighter and more contemporary.
The aircraft also features two-tone seats with diamond-patterned, quilted inserts that were completed using an automated CNC machine. All the cabinetry in the cabin was treated with hydrographic finishes and new, one-piece Duncan-designed Passenger Service Unit (PSU) panels were installed.
Avionics upgrade
The aircraft also received an avionics upgrade, including a Collins Aerospace Pro Line 21 Integrated Avionics System and Future Air Navigation System 1/A (FANS-1/A) w/ATN-B1 Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC).
Senior avionics sales rep Mike Morgan explained that this was the first time Duncan Aviation installed the Collins CMU-4000+ CMU for FANS-1/A and ATN-B1 with the Pro Line 21 system into a Falcon 50EX. “Dassault was working on a CMU-4000+ STC for this installation, and it was proposed to use this project as the conforming aircraft,” said Morgan.
Morgan also explained that the new owner had concerns about the serviceability of the existing CMS. To mitigate these concerns, the team installed the Alto Cadence CMS.
During the process of quoting new LED lighting, the Duncan Aviation team was approached by Aircraft Lighting International (ALI) about installing its new multicoloured LED Lighting system. The customer was receptive, making this the first time the ALI multicoloured LED Lighting system was installed in an aircraft at Duncan Aviation.
The aircraft also received a new Collins Aerospace Synthetic Vision System.
