Completions and MRO specialist Flying Colours has redelivered a third modified Bombardier Challenger 850 to an undisclosed Fortune 500 company. The aircraft was originally completed from green by Flying Colours in an executive VIP layout and returned for reconfiguration as a 19-passenger corporate shuttle this spring.

The latest aircraft in the trio of corporate shuttles showcases the depth and breadth of Flying Colours' spectrum of services. Sourcing of the aircraft originated at its Peterborough headquarters as three aircraft from around the globe were identified as potential candidates for the customer. Technicians were dispatched to evaluate the merits of each model, and on final selection Flying Colours worked as a liaison between the relevant parties, resulting in a successful pre-purchase inspection and sale.

The technical project including extensive maintenance work, avionics upgrades and complete interior reconfiguration took place at Flying Colours' St. Louis, Missouri facility, while the external paint application was completed at the recently opened paint shop in Peterborough, Canada.

“Having completed the original green VIP completion back in 2011 it was interesting for our team to modify our own work to convert the aircraft into a hard-working corporate shuttle,” says executive VP Sean Gillespie. “The project provided a great showcase for our end-to-end service; there are not many organisations that can provide such an integrated offering. This is the third Challenger 850 conversion that we've made for this customer, and it speaks volumes about our ability to innovate to meet the demanding expectations of our customers.”

In addition to the upgrade and modifications Flying Colours undertook a series of maintenance activities as 12/24/48/96-month airframe inspections and a 120-month landing gear inspection, plus additional miscellaneous inspection tasks, were completed.

“This aircraft clearly demonstrates our comprehensive offering and the high levels of expertise we deliver under one roof. With a typical passenger load of 17 we had to create durability and comfort combined with resiliency and the latest safety features to support the five to six legs it is scheduled to fly on a typical day. We're extremely proud to have been selected to complete the work and enjoyed the experience of converting the VIP aircraft we'd completed into a corporate shuttle. It clearly shows our flexibility and innovative heritage to be able to perform such diverse modifications on this our third aircraft in the fleet,” concludes Gillespie.