By Adam Doyle
Paint and Interior Sales Manager for Elliott Aviation
For a customer, a large paint and interior project can be very intimidating. In many cases, the aircraft is not planned to look anything like it does when it comes into the shop. However, when doing a project with a major paint and interior work scope, it is critical that there are minimal surprises along the way.
With a mid sized jet or larger, it is impossible to imagine what your paint and interior will look like without help from your paint and interior team. A good team can put projects together on the front end so you can visualize your custom aircraft interior from day one. In addition to visualizing your aircraft, a good team will have everything taken care of for you from the ease of communication, to having materials in stock and ready to review.
There are programs that are focused on having full 3D renderings of what your interior will look like before you start the project. You pick a variety of materials, woodwork samples, leathers, plating and you are able to have a really good handle on what your aircraft will look like upon completion. Our proprietary system, Envision 2.0, even lets you virtually walk around the cabin and compare different materials in real-time.
As paint and interior professionals we know that even with advanced technology, it is essential to actually have material on hand to get the most accurate representation possible. A reputable shop will have a large catalog of options for you to choose. That way you don’t just get to see it, but you get to feel it and understand the unique qualities that leather or material may possess.
The problem that many people may have is that there are TOO many options. That’s why it is important to have a team of designers to really understand your preferences and help guide you through the process. Aircraft paint and interior designers follow all of the latest trends not only in color but in things like LED lighting, ink-resistant ultra-leather, custom carpets, and new seat designs. They cannot only save you a lot of time and headache trying to come up with designing a modern cabin.
As certain colors like metallics are impossible to properly visualize on a screen, your shop should be able to aid you with paint chips and spray-outs. This would be very important to doing something like matching the colors of a logo or seeing the color-changing effects of a chromalusion stripe. You can also request multiple so you can see how multiple colors will look together on your aircraft.
During the project, communication is key. A good shop will not only give you a single point of contact Customer Service Representative but allow you access to talk directly with the technicians that do the work. This helps the customer to get detailed technical questions answered to help them make a more informed decision.
It is also critical that your representatives respond to you in a timely manner. You are paying a lot of money and may have uncertainties. A good team will make sure that when your project is in-house, you are the number one priority.
As aircraft professionals, we all understand that when going into a major paint and interior refurbishment you have many uncertainties. It is our job to try and not only address all of them upfront, but to be proactive about any issues that may arise along the way. During the project, you need proper communication to make sure everything turns out better than you could even imagine.
Adam Doyle joined Elliott Aviation in 2000 as an interior technician after graduating from Wyoming Technical Institute. While at Elliott Aviation, Adam has earned many different promotions on the shop floor including Install Team Lead, Soft Goods Team Lead, Assistant Interior Shop Manager, and Seat Shop Manager. Adam’s most recent promotion has been to Paint and Interior Sales Representative for Elliott Aviation. He uses his experience with various vendors, products, and processes to educate our clients by providing direction and helping plan for future investment with realistic and accurate figures.