Press Release

Issued by Duncan Aviation.

December 19, 2016

In an effort to collectively raise the industry benchmark, protect against corrosion and improve painter safety, the Industry Benchmark Forum Aircraft Paint team, a group of industry-leading companies who paint business aircraft gather periodically to share tips and best practices. Their combined expertise is now available in an overview document at www.duncanaviation.aero/resources/field-guides/industry-benchmark-forum-aircraft-paint-expectations.

The Industry Benchmark Forum: Aircraft Paint team gathered at Jet Aviation in St. Louis in the fall of 2016 to discuss processes, products and how to produce the best product for the customer. Paint industry representatives from Jet Aviation, Dassault Falcon Jet (Little Rock, Arkansas, and Wilmington, Delaware), Duncan Aviation (Lincoln, Nebraska, and Battle Creek, Michigan), and Gulfstream (Savannah, Georgia) were present. The team has met three times and was initially formed in 2014 through the efforts of Doug Bohac, Duncan Aviation paint manager.

Paint serves a purpose that goes far deeper than a glossy exterior, Bohac explains. It’s also a thin protective shell that serves as an aircraft’s only line of defense against the elements. Forum members are battling misperceptions about the way aircraft surfaces are protected. Many owner/operators view the paint on their aircraft the same way they view the paint on their cars. “Unlike a car, airplanes expand and contract as they ascend and descend because of the varying air pressure, not to mention the extreme temperatures they operate in,” Bohac says.

Attendees agree the forum is mutually beneficial for the paint managers, shops and, ultimately, paint customers. The group will meet again in 2017 at another paint facility location to continue to build on collective knowledge.