With preowned business aircraft buyers and long-time owners seeing the value in upgrading their cabins, demand for aftermarket interiors work is booming, say MROs and interiors and cabin-component professionals. Many of the leading cabin-furnishings providers and refurbishment specialists are showcasing their wares and capabilities this week at NBAA-BACE, making the show an ideal opportunity to see and learn about the latest trends, technologies, and craftwork, whether you’re thirsty for cabin refreshment or not.
“A lot of aircraft are changing hands,” said George Bajo, sales manager for modifications at Duncan Aviation (Booths 1235, 2424). With the predominance of vintage airframes on the preowned market, “people purchasing older aircraft are spending money to outfit them the way they want and bring them up to current standards,” he added. “We're seeing everything from full interiors to cabin reconfigurations.”
Among long-time owners, “there is pent-up demand for interior refurbishment, and we're seeing customers spend discretionary dollars, especially on interior and cabin-management-system upgrades,” he said. “Before it was, ‘Do what you had to do,’ and, ‘Let’s watch our dollars.’ Now it's, ‘Do all the nice stuff, as well.’”
For seating upgrades, demand for custom quilting and perforated leather is high, as it has been in the past couple of years, so Duncan bought its own quilting machines, which can cost around $170,000 each. “We were investing in other vendors,” Bajo said, and now Duncan has been able to take the work in-house.
“Where normally it’s been a little bit of this and that [on interiors work], now they’re going all out and getting major refurbishments,” said Robert Roth, president of Global Aircraft Interiors (GAI; Booth 2419). Roth was so busy some three weeks before NBAA that he didn't have time to outfit the Gulfstream G550 cabin section mockup GAI displays to showcase its work. The Ronkonkoma, New York company has had a Falcon-heavy slate recently, with a Falcon 2000 in now for soft goods, woodwork, and LED lighting. This follows two other recently completed Falcon 2000 projects.
The addition of USB ports, Wi-Fi connectivity solutions, and LED lighting are typical starting points for cabin upgrades, as clients recognize the value of “putting money into and updating an older aircraft,” whether for Part 135 or Part 91 operations, Roth said.
Like several other providers, GAI reported few supply-chain issues, which Roth and his colleagues attribute to “being ahead of the curve.” His advice for owners and operators considering an upgrade: “I can't stress enough the importance of lead time and getting a slot in a facility.”
Liberty Partners (Booth 4026) has also seen a demand spike for its custom work. “Cabin modifications have definitely increased over the last year, and interiors have picked up across the board,” said Aaron Duncan, engineering and certification manager.
Liberty offers cabin floor-plan reconfigurations, seating rearrangements, and monument modifications, including refinishing on cabinets and credenzas. For refinishing needs, more customers are opting for hydrographic applications on their cabinetry and other interior components, a process that involves applyinga thin 3D film and replicating the look of any material or scene onto a complex solid surface.
“We've done a complete refinish on several aircraft interiors with our hydrographic applications,” Duncan said. “We have the ability to do full-size cabinets and bulkheads, and large interior components.”
At its show display, the Okmulgee, Oklahoma MRO is presenting hydrographic solutions, seat upholstery, and cabinetry among a variety of its finishing and interiors capabilities. Also in the spotlight: its engineering design and avionics installation services. That includes a cockpit seat extension for the Embraer Phenom 100/300 developed with Eagle Creek Aviation. “There seems to be a need for this, for owners and pilots who are taller than average,” said Duncan. “We've extended the seat a couple of inches to give those folks a little more comfort.”
Customers continue coming to Elliott Aviation (Booth 3291) with large maintenance and avionics projects, as they have since the pandemic lockdown began, but now “they’re combining those events with the paint and interior, to really get their airplane up to a newer standard,” said Meghan Welch, director of paint and interior sales. “Existing owners are investing in their aircraft and putting in the upgrades and adding more options, as opposed to a standard refurbishment.”
As a result, she’s been spending time “educating customers on all the options available—the speaker systems, the insulation, the customization," Welch said. "It’s really personalizing your interiors to make it your own."
She noted another trend mentioned by colleagues from other providers: “We are looking to hire, which is a common thing around [the MRO arena], to keep up with the demand.”
With the growing focus on sustainability in business aviation, Austria’s F/List (Booth 4488)—known for bespoke interiors for yachts and luxury residences as well as business jets—is showcasing a portfolio of sustainable yet luxurious interior materials, including alternatives for leathers, countertops, and surface fabrics, along with reconstituted veneers developed by its Innovation group.
“They are super interesting, a super different design direction, and sustainable at the same time, and a cost-conscious alternative, as well,” said Melanie Prince, head of innovation. The sustainable materials also wear better and are lighter than those they can replace, she said, yet all “look and feel very, very high-end.”
For a glimpse of what may be coming to tomorrow’s interior refurbishment, Lufthansa Technik (LHT; Booth 2881) is showing its latest cabin-control technology and high-tech materials. A cabin-section mockup at LHT’s booth displays the latest evolution of its nice cabin-management system, which entered service last month on Bombardier’s Challenger 3500 and incorporates voice-command cabin controls. Within the mockup, a small V-cabin (V for “virtual”) environment allows visitors to don virtual-reality devices and activate cabin systems via nice virtually.
Sustainable materials of tomorrow on display include Aeroflax, a flax-based replacement for glass-fiber or carbon-fiber interiors parts, such as sidewalls and ceiling panels. Made from flax fibers and biological resin, AeroFlax weighs 20 percent less than equivalent glass- or carbon-based fiber parts, said Dr. Wassef Ayadi, a senior director of engineering services. The Collins Aerospace SpaceChiller uses heat-exchange technology to cool food items rapidly, using much less power than conventional refrigeration-type appliances, and it weighs only one pound.
From the cabin experience side of the Collins Aerospace house (Booth 3435, Static Display AD_406) come Space Chiller, a personal in-seat refrigeration system, and Hypergamut, an advanced lighting system. Both products are making their NBAA and business aviation debuts after bowing at Hamburg’s Aircraft Interiors Expo in June.
SpaceChiller, which measures only about five inches square and weighs just one pound, is a modular thermoelectric cooling system. Possible cabin applications include in-seat minibars and chilled-snack bars. Derived from heat-exchange technology, the unit uses much less power than conventional cooling devices and can quickly bring items to food-safe (4 degrees C) temperatures—or other settings for proper chilling of foods from ice cream to Champagne.
As a heat exchanger, the technology could provide heating as well as cooling, potentially giving passengers “infinite flexibility” in “controlling a thermal environment,” the Charlotte, North Carolina company said.
The Hypergamut Lighting System aims to set new illumination benchmarks. It’s attuned to human biology and can intelligently sync with real-time flight data to enable predictive and independent functionality to reduce passenger jetlag. Proprietary LED technology delivers a unique passenger experience of saturated colors, with a Color Rendering Index performance greater than 98 out of 100. The color-optimized system also improves the appearance of materials, food, and fixtures throughout the cabin, according to Collins. Aircraft Lighting International can swap in LED lights for many aircraft.
Aircraft Lighting International (ALI, Booth 4581) agrees that “cabin lighting has an outsize influence on the passenger experience” and is showcasing a wide selection of LED drop-in replacements for legacy fluorescent and halogen cabin lighting systems. Upgrading to an LED system can make an aircraft “look brand new because it brightens everything up,” said Pelle Nilsson, v-p of business development.
ALI’s lights are designed to “service the thousands of aging aircraft that weren't produced with LED lighting systems” and can be operated through the original control interfaces. They require no modification for virtually any business jet with original AE or B/E lighting, greatly reducing installation downtime, Nilsson said.
ALI is also showcasing two new product lines for LED replacements for legacy exterior and cockpit lighting systems. Lufthansa Technik's wireless phone charger on a Bombardier Challenger 3500.
Accord Aviation Interiors (Booth 1982) of Fort Worth is highlighting the cabin work it does on aircraft from King Airs to MD-83s, ranging from minor repairs to full refurbishments, as well as commercial-to-private aircraft conversions. Recent refurbishment projects have included work on a Bombardier Challenger 604, Astra Galaxy, Gulfstream G200, and Embraer Legacy 600.
Once a premium interior is in place, Primadonna (Booth 3757) provides linens, beds, china, crystal, and flatware to the aftermarket, as well as to OEMs including Bombardier, Dassault, and Gulfstream. The Tucson, Arizona company is displaying high-end wares including luxury linens, dinnerware, crystal, and accessories, anchored by its Dine, Sleep, Relax, and Refresh Collections.
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2022-10-15/cabin-refurbs-upgrades-grab-spotlight-amid-high-demand
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