Flying Colours Corp has reached a significant milestone with the re-delivery of its Peterborough, Ontario facility's 100th major retrofit of a Bombardier Challenger model.

The Challenger 604, delivered in the first week of October, underwent a major overhaul of its cabin, avionics, connectivity and fuselage. Minor maintenance was conducted as the same aircraft had undergone a 96-month check at the company's headquarters just over a year earlier for a previous owner.

The design team worked with the new owner and current operator to create an interior that features a black and gold palette. In the cabin the design team adapted Challenger 650-style seat frames, purchased from Rockwell Collins Interior Systems, to feature moulded armrests that arch perfectly to fit the curves of the arm. The six reclining individual seats and complementary three place divan were finished using a soft but durable black leather with a perforated insert, medium-beige coloured leather accent panels and a single contrasting seam stitch trim. The light trims, buckles and control panels feature a matt gold to contrast with the leather and customised monuments, including side ledges, panels, and doors are finished with a gloss anigre veneer, with each fold out table incorporating a matt gold inlay accent.

The private owner also took the opportunity to update cabin connectivity with the Gogo Avance L3 air-to-ground connectivity system installed to provide wi-fi access for voice, email, web browsing, moving maps and a selection of movies and TV programmes across the North American region. Inflight entertainment comes courtesy of the Rockwell Collins Venue system with new monitors installed at the front and aft of the cabin. The high clarity touchscreen displays and intuitive controls optimise management of the cabin environment. Both crew and passengers can control lighting, temperature and entertainment choices, as well as view Airshow moving maps, from their own personal digital devices. Cabin crew will also benefit from a completely modernised galley, which features a new TIA microwave, customised coffee maker and generous storage.

The flight deck was also treated to a major overhaul with Rockwell Collins' Future Airspace Navigation System (FANS) 1/A installed to ensure improved situational and environmental awareness. The upgrade was combined with installation of soon-to-be mandatory ADS-B Out tracking equipment, for which Flying Colours holds the STC on Challenger 604 types.

The dedicated Peterborough paint shop applied a paint job reflecting the interior colours. A partial gold stripe sweeps from the tail to midway along the fuselage and sits above a full black stripe that sweeps in an arc to the front of the aircraft.

Executive VP Sean Gillespie says: “Our design house created a stunning interior, our avionics team upgraded the flight deck and connectivity and our interiors team installed the beautiful new seats and monuments. We're pleased that our 100th Challenger project was such an interesting one; it's a significant achievement for our team.”