North American MRO and completions business Flying Colours Corp has officially opened the doors of its newest, largest and most advanced paint preparation and application facility at its Peterborough, Ontario headquarters. The new purpose-built facility gives Flying Colours the capacity to paint any size business aircraft, including Bombardier Global 7500 and Gulfstream G700 types, as well as narrow body executive airliners such as the A220 or B737-900 models. The first paint job is already in process on a Bombardier Global aircraft.

Incorporating the latest technology to support the growing demand for expert paint work for in-service and new completion aircraft, the paint shop is designed with functionality and sustainability in mind. Fully computerised and climate controlled, the pressurised cross-draft paint booth measures 138 ft wide and 158 ft deep with the tail height reaching 55 ft. The new booth is equipped with 168 energy efficient lights that simulate natural day light to optimise paint colour matches and visibility for technicians. The sanding, paint, purge and cure application sequence reduces environmental impact through intelligently designed air recirculation and exhaust systems, which decrease the amount of heat needed to operate while reducing the amount of paint emissions released into the air.

The expanding team of paint technicians offers a variety of paint techniques including electro-static applications. The business is also using the opportunity to move away from chromate primers to non-chromate products to deliver improved specifications and conformances for the aviation industry to improve the paint finish, reduce waste and make a positive impact to worker's health and environmental protection. The experienced paint team will maximise the efficiencies of the shop to improve turnaround times, offer a wider range of paint techniques and apply the unique and unusual designs requested by many customers.

The inauguration of the facility represents the start of operations in the new CAD$25 million hangar. When phase two completes, which is anticipated in late Spring 2020, the 100,000 sq ft extension of the Peterborough headquarters will enable Flying Colours to accommodate the increasing number of clients requesting maintenance, interior modifications, avionics upgrades and paint work to be performed simultaneously. The ability to run projects in parallel reduces downtime, maximises budget and ensures projects complete on time.

“We are in a strong growth period, and the additional paint shop adds real value to our existing paint facilities,” says president and CEO John Gillespie. “Once the entire expansion is complete, this fourth paint shop will support our strategy for providing complementary aviation services, at an even greater scale, in one location.”