A Falcon 900EX has undergone a major paint and interior refurbishment at Duncan Aviation’s facility in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Customers Billy and Rozanne Rosenthal decided it was time to upgrade the early 2000s aircraft they’d owned for more than six years. The project included the installation of new API winglets. “I was always told if you want to upgrade your aircraft, do it during the C-Check,” said Billy Rosenthal. “When that time rolled around, I said ‘why not!’”
Right-hand forward closet storage cabinet
To add storage space, the forward crew lavatory was removed and replaced with a storage cabinet that doubles as a closet.
“We find that a lot of operators will use the Falcon 900 roughly 90-95% of the time domestically for flights that last under 4-5 hours,” said Tracey Boesch, senior completions and modifications sales rep at Duncan Aviation. “Plus, if the owners have a good relationship with their pilots and don’t mind sharing the aft lavatory, it’s not an issue to remove the forward lav. The space creates an excellent storage compartment.”
“It turned out great,” said Billy Rosenthal. “It looks like the aircraft was designed that way!”
The removed lavatory was tagged, crated and put into storage so that when the aircraft is sold, the new owner has the option to re-install it.
Mid-cabin dividers
The mid-cabin dividers were removed. “The owners are very family-oriented, and wanted the interior to feel more open,” said Stephanie Kuhn, senior lead designer at Duncan Aviation. “By removing the dividers, we were able to give them that open feeling.”
“Overall, from the reconfigurations, modifications and top-to-bottom refurbishment, the cabin just makes more sense,” said Billy Rosenthal.
Dual divans
One of the unplanned floorplan modifications added to the project was sparked by a photo of a past project with the aft divans berthed in the quote presentation package. The option gained further interest when Boesch explained that the new Falcon 900 divan could accommodate four belted positions if desired, rather than three, having learnt more about the owners and their family-oriented trips.
Duncan Aviation said seated space would be too narrow for four adults on the divan, but it is ideal for accommodating four smaller grandchildren comfortably. The divans can be made into a bed for longer trips, and also give the owners a separate location where each can lay flat.
Aesthetic updates
Duncan Aviation’s interior modifications team modernised the drinkrails to have a streamlined, thinner profile. The existing cupholders were relocated to fit the new lid that accommodates the CMS switch panels underneath.
New Duncan Aviation-designed One-Piece PSU Overlay panels provide an updated look and integrate new LED up- and down-wash lighting. They are designed to allow for easy removal and reinstallation with a more secure fit than the former three-piece valance panels.
Expanded CMS functionality
The owners selected the latest version of Collins Aerospace’s Venue CMS. The controls are installed beneath new lids in the drinkrails, and give control over lighting, audio, airflow, and video.
The flush-mounted bulkhead monitors display high-resolution graphics and text, for an enhanced experience of the 3D Collins Airshow moving map. The system also integrates with passengers’ personal devices, enabling wireless streaming of audio and video content.
Material choices
Materials used include a subtle two-tone wool carpet; straight-grain, new veneer with a greige-taupe warm undertone; leather for the lower sidewalls, accented by a vertical French stitch below each table centreline; and a new satin antique nickel plating finish throughout. Modern paddle latches were also installed.
Other details
The classic seat design has a headrest that sits proud. This took the team some slight modification. The team also modified the two forward-facing seats in the forward club to integrate new recliner leg rests for the primary VIP seats.
The galley tower was modified to include solid doors with veneer, and the see-through plex doors were removed.
The credenza was modified to remove the raised aft end, resulting in a single-height cabinet to create a better flow in the mid-cabin.
The aft lavatory was modified to remove the small angle on either side of the centre mirror to provide a level upper vanity, smoothing out surfaces in the smaller lavatory space, to make it feel slightly larger. The right-hand panel was modified to create a new upwash valance light in conjunction with the cabin PSU overlay panels.
The new solid surface features a natural, stone-like movement. Complementing the updated surfaces, new faucets were installed in both the galley and lavatory vanity.
The new exterior paint has a Matterhorn white base, highlighted with blue metallic stripes. The owner’s state flag was added as a personal touch.
Customer feedback
“Overall, the product is fantastic,” said Billy Rosenthal. “The aircraft looks absolutely gorgeous. It looks brand new. I feel… excited! It’s just gorgeous and turned out great.”
“Everything matches and from top to bottom, it’s just beautiful,” he continued. “The seats are even more comfortable than they were before!”
“Not only was I excited to see another gorgeous aircraft brought to life by our Duncan Aviation team, I was especially grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Billy and Rozanne,” said Boesch. “Their crew was also great to work with. Our interactions were very positive and underscored the strong partnership we developed, especially with our project manager Ryan Oestmann, who handled all of the day-to-day aircraft activities.”
