Duncan Aviation Completes Yacht-Like Interior on Gulfstream V

This newly refurbished Gulfstream is a show piece that emulates the creativity and craftsmanship of the artisans and technicians at Duncan Aviation. You can watch a video of the transformation by following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAnbmojExa4&t=6s Click image for high-res download.

LINCOLN, NEB. — Duncan Aviation is excited to showcase a Gulfstream V that received a fully customized interior refurbishment at the company’s full-service maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in Provo, Utah. You can watch a video of the transformation by following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAnbmojExa4&t=6s

This newly refurbished Gulfstream is a show piece that emulates the creativity and craftsmanship of Duncan Aviation. Some of the details include two-tone leather seats with a fabric insert, port hole window surrounds, vinyl-wrapped sidewalls, carbon fiber table boxes, and a stone look used throughout the aircraft that really makes it a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

In the world of business aviation, you see a lot of aircraft interiors that feature neutral colors like beige and grey. The simple color palettes are perceived as a safer option since they appeal to the masses and help with resale value.

Occasionally, a customer personally values creativity and is willing to take the plunge into a unique design. This Gulfstream V is a prime example.

“Working with a customer who is open to creative and fun designs is one of my favorite things to do,” said Senior Lead Designer Molly Pfeiffer. “Each individual detail of this aircraft had a unique aspect that came together to produce something absolutely beautiful.”

Decades of Aviation

At first, the owner wasn’t sure which direction he wanted to take with the interior. He teetered from an old-school ‘60s aviation theme with velvets, oranges, and purples, to trying to capture aspects of different decades of aviation in sections of the interior. They played with multiple ideas and fine-tuned the various visions until the current design came forward.

“The colors and finishes were inspired by the Albatross we refurbished years ago,” explained Pfeiffer. “He was searching the internet for inspiration and came across photos of the Albatross. He loved how the wood tone and green looked together.”

Check out the Grumman G-111 Albatross that inspired the customer: https://duncanaviation.aero/videos/grumman-g-111-albatross-interior-installation

BorromeodeSilva

Carlo Borromeo, owner of BorromeodeSilva, has a history of working with the owner and understands the owner’s design preferences. Borromeo and Pfeiffer worked together to ensure the new interior fit the owner’s taste, and was aviation-approved. Borromeo came up with the overall vision, and Pfeiffer brought it to life. 

“Most of the big ideas came from Carlo and his team,” said Pfeiffer. “I ensured the materials they selected fit aviation requirements and came up with a lot of the details on how to execute the vision with the unique concepts we were trying to achieve. Once we had the overall vision on all the custom details, we needed to incorporate them. It was all about working with the Duncan Aviation Interior Team Leads to determine how to best execute each item.”

It is common to work with non-aviation designers that the owner is familiar with and each time brings a new opportunity to elevate interior design within the aviation arena.

“Carlo was great to work with because he’s worked with the owner for years and really understood his style,” Pfeiffer said. “I enjoy working with an outside designer who knows the client on that deep of a level. It makes it easier to fine-tune the details. We don’t have to spend a lot of time creating the baseline concept.”

Before the aircraft input, the owner, Borromeo and Pfeiffer went through all of the materials and last-minute details to make sure nothing was left out. From there, the stunning transformation began.

Beautiful, Handsome, and Custom-Tailored

Pfeiffer compared the look of the seats in the aircraft to a handsome, custom-tailored suit. They are highlighted by two-tone light and dark green leather on the arms and seat surrounds yet the herringbone fabric insert is really what catches the eye. The Duncan Aviation team added pull lines that ran vertically along the fabric to add depth and dimension to the seats and make the inserts pop.

“These are some of the most handsome seats I’ve ever done,” said Pfeiffer. “They remind me of a custom-tailored men’s suit with clean lines, pull details, and hidden seams. The simple design and patterned fabric created a clean look that is interesting and draws you in.”

Every aspect of the seats were hand cut by the Upholstery shop at the Duncan Aviation facility in Provo.

Upholstery Team Leader Brandon Crosby explains that the headrests are larger than we normally see.

“The larger headrest fits the head better, and gives of a more predominate appearance,” Crosby said. “A lot of the time with smaller headrests, it hits the head at an odd spot. When the larger headrests are up, there is more surface cushion for the head to relax on.”

The seats originally had doors on the front that the owner was no longer using. Crosby and his team closed them to create solid armrests with clean lines and removed the extra gaps. This look is more appealing and creates better aesthetics.

A Sleeker Look

The drinkrails and table boxes were completely modified to achieve a sleeker, more modernized cabin more in line with newer models. At input, the tops of the drinkrails were at different heights, and the lower sidewalls were just a leather bump-out. The team redesigned them, making them the same elevation and creating two-level drinkrails. They focused on details such as making custom cupholders specific to the owner’s cups, and applying powder coating to give them a durable finish that complemented the color of the stone. They also added metal plating to flank both sides of the table, mirroring the table card boxes, which have a strip of plating running along either side.

Yacht-Like

Borromeo had previously designed the owner’s yacht and wanted to incorporate some of the same design aspects into the aircraft. To do this, the team modified the windows to resemble a porthole, and installed Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) flooring in the entryway and lav.

Crosby and his team used 2.5”-wide LVT planks that resemble the teak wood often used in yachts. Duncan Aviation’s CNC shop cut out 1/8”-wide strips of aluminum that were powder-coated black and placed between each row. The result closely resembles the flooring typically seen in yachts.

The new flooring is extremely durable and elongates the entry area, which creates clean lines and a sleek look. Crosby said he had no hesitations when Pfeiffer approached him about the yacht-themed flooring.

“I knew our team was capable of creating exactly what Molly was envisioning,” he said. “It created a nice, crisp, elegant look and is not something you see in many aircraft. It stands out and is a unique feature.”

Clay Witte, Interior Completions Team Leader, played a pivotal part on project milestones for the interior teams and helped coordinate with other shops.

They had to move the sidewalls up because of the elevation change in the drinkrails. Because of that and how thick the porthole windows were, they fabricated their own window shade hardware. It was mocked up, 3D printed, and sent out to be fitted. A lot of work went into ensuring it functioned correctly and captured the aesthetic they wanted.

“For the most part, we only had the design rendering to go off of so most of it was made by scratch,” said Witte. “We spent a little bit of time coming up with an initial plan and making mock-ups before beginning work on the existing upper sidewalls. Engineering worked closely with us during this and at all times in the project to model our prototypes so the final product could be machined for a more consistent result.”

Witte has completed similar work on lower sidewalls and PSUs with veneer and vinyl wrap. The upper sidewalls presented a new challenge because of the amount of flexibility that the panels require in order to be removed and reinstalled.

“The final look was great,” Witte exclaimed. “The smooth walls with the portal surrounds sitting proud on them, completed with the nickel trim and gold screws is very stunning. Once all the design elements came together on this project, it was just so unique. I have never seen another like it. We are all very proud of the results.”

Witte says this was a great project to work on and the communication between Engineering and the production teams was vital to ensure every detail was high-quality and met the owner’s expectations.

Hydrographics

Borromeo wanted a stone look to be incorporated. Because of weight restrictions, Pfeiffer suggested using a hydrographic film that mimics the appearance of stone without adding weight. Using hydrographics, the stone appearance could be applied on the tight radiuses of the drinkrails and credenza.

The drinkrails, credenza top, and countertops were all hydrodipped with the stone look. The table boxes, tabletops, and grab rails were hydrodipped as well, using a carbon fiber film.

A Duncan Aviation First

The upper sidewalls were vinyl-wrapped and appear to have a straight grain, light oak veneer.

“This was a first for our team,” explained Pfeiffer. “We wanted to achieve the look of veneer throughout a majority of the cabin, including the upper sidewall. The wrap allowed us to have the veneer aesthetic without having to solve the challenges of using real veneer.”

A Quieter Cabin

The owner likes to rest and have quiet in the aircraft, so he was looking for a way to improve the sound quality in the aft area. The team installed multiple components throughout the cabin. Soundproofing blankets were added as well as thicker carpet pad to absorb extra sound. They modified the curtain design with a thick-pleated structure to help with functionality and also create a more pleasing aesthetic when the curtains were open or closed.

The aircraft arrived with standard curtains that were not mounted and had a force-fit curtain track. Crosby and his team worked with the Duncan Aviation Engineering and Structures team to re-engineer curtain tracks that could be mounted. The owner wanted to prioritize the conference table area since he used that area the most to rest. We created two sound-blocking curtains to surround the area.

“It was a challenge to maintain the design aesthetic, ensure correct function, and dampen the sound while also maintaining a darker environment,” said Crosby. “We had to keep the curtains tight to the PSUs, and had to maintain a 1/8” gap between the curtain and the carpet. It’s a true custom fit that not only dampens the sound, but also keeps out light.”

A New Flight Deck

The Duncan Aviation team also refurbished the entire flight deck. The seats consisted of the same dark green leather that was used in the cabin, and they painted the frames to match the light green leather. The sidewalls were covered in dark green leather, and a loop carpet that matched the silk carpet in the cabin was installed. All of the metal was plated with an Almond Gold finish that was also used in the rest of the interior.

The Finer Details

The divan features a white boucle fabric that was a challenge for the team because it had a lot of ply. The team had to adjust how they cut patterns and came up with unique ways to fill it properly and make sure it maintained clean lines.

The carpet is a luxurious, handmade, 100% silk carpet. The unique characteristic to an all-silk carpet is that the yarns lay different directions when you walk on it, almost creating a marbling effect.

The PSUs are wrapped in two different fabrics that help create that custom-tailored look.

“The PSUs turned out impeccably,” said Pfeiffer. “Everything fits so flush with such clean lines. The execution was just beautiful.”

The aircraft also received Prizm lighting upgrades that allow passengers to change the color and temperatures to get warmer and cooler lighting. An Alto Cadence sound upgrade and Collins CMS Venue were also installed. The CMS features new touchscreen monitors in the armrest.

The project was capped off with the installation of the recently certified Starlink high-speed, in-flight internet connectivity system.

A Big Feat

Crosby said this was a big feat for his team, and they did a great job tackling it. “The team came together and put out a project that looks outstanding. We typically see a lot of tans and greys, so it was nice to work with something different. It’s sharp.”

Pfeiffer said the attention to detail and high levels of quality artisanship on all aspects of the project really made this a piece of flying art.

“At the end of the day, my design is nothing without the craftsmanship of our teams being able to bring it to life,” she said.  “It’s not your standard aircraft; it has so many unique details woven throughout the interior and everyone here was so patient and really executed those details perfectly. I couldn't have been happier with how the final product turned out. It was even better than I envisioned.”

About Duncan Aviation

Duncan Aviation is an aircraft service provider supporting the aviation needs of business aircraft operators, government agencies, and other aircraft service providers. Services include major and minor airframe inspections, engine maintenance, major retrofits for cabin and cockpit avionics systems, full paint and interior services, engineering and certification services, fabrication and manufacturing services, and preowned aircraft sales and acquisitions. Duncan Aviation also has international aircraft components solutions experts available 24/7/365 at +1 402.475.4125 who can handle any aircraft system problem with immediate exchanges, rotables, loaners or avionics/instrument/accessory repairs and overhauls. Complete service facilities are located in Battle Creek, Michigan; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Provo, Utah. We also have dozens of other facilities strategically located throughout the United States to provide customers with scheduled regional support and the quickest response possible to avionics, engine and airframe Aircraft On Ground (AOG) situations.

For more information about any of Duncan Aviation’s services, call +1 402.475.2611 or visit https://www.DuncanAviation.aero/services