A Bombardier Global Express has emerged from a 240-month inspection at Flying Colours’ headquarters in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. The aircraft was last brought to the facility by its previous owner around two years ago – for a complete cabin refurbishment and new fuselage paintwork. In parallel with the latest maintenance, Flying Colours also completed minor touch-ups to cabinetry and soft furnishings.
Completely stripped back to the airframe, a thorough check was undertaken for corrosion, stress fractures and other issues that might affect structural integrity. This was followed by a number of service bulletin updates. In conjunction with the mandatory 240-month inspection tasks and landing gear restoration, additional hourly inspections were completed, as well as multiple service bulletins to inspect for and correct flap corrosion. Flying Colours made use of a new fully computerised and climate-controlled paint shop, which it opened in March 2020, to implement paintwork touch-ups that rejuvenated the fuselage.
A further two Bombardier Global Express heavy maintenance checks are in the pipeline, with a 120- and 240-month scheduled in the next six months.
“The 240-month inspection is extensive and requires extreme attention to detail to ensure the aircraft is structurally safe to enter back into service,” said Kevin Kliethermes, director of sales.
With most early-production Global aircraft still operating, Kliethermes added the team is pleased to be supporting future inspections. “As a Bombardier authorised service facility, we are very well-positioned to support owners of this airframe. We have a highly motivated and experienced maintenance workforce that understands the intricacies of these detailed checks; we have the infrastructure with eight spacious hangars in North America enabling easy fuselage access; and a dedicated Global tail-dock designed to support work on the Global platform. We also have our avionics, paint and interiors team standing by to support a variety of aircraft upgrades in parallel. Owners appreciate the ability to have all the work conducted in one location as it really minimises downtime.”
