Flying Colours ramps up specials mission expertise

Flying Colours GlobalEye

Peterborough, ON. – 27 September 2021 – Flying Colours, the maintenance, refurbishment, and completion specialist, continues solidifying its reputation for complex special mission expertise across a range of aircraft types having completed two significant projects in the last quarter.

Having undergone interior completions work at Flying Colours Peterborough headquarters in Ontario a fifth Saab GlobalEye platform was delivered from Bombardier’s Toronto manufacturing site in August. As a Bombardier Special Mission completion partner for Saab’s GlobalEye program, a dedicated Flying Colours team is responsible for the design, manufacturing, installation, and completion of the highly specified interior, which is based on the Bombardier Global 6000/6500 type. Each monument shipset is individually produced to leverage the Global airframe as Flying Colours Corp. supports Saab through the introduction of a practical, functional interior for the mission system operators.

“We have had extensive experience working on the Global family in both VIP and special mission formats and are proud to have delivered these aircraft in partnership with Bombardier to Saab. Saab’s GlobalEye project specifically showcases the high levels of technical expertise delivered by our experience, knowledge, and the exceptional talent within our team,” says Sean Gillespie, Executive VP for Flying Colours.

In addition, the fourth in a series of six Q400MR multi-purpose aircraft has been re-delivered to aerial firefighting specialist partner Conair. Flying Colours is responsible for the engineering, fabrication, installation, certification, and completion of four different cabin interiors to support passenger, cargo, combi-transport, and medevac special missions. On completion of the interiors, a fifth firefighting capability is equipped by Conair. The ability to easily change the aircraft purpose within a quick time frame, maximises operational efficiency and costs, in a diverse range of operating environments. The final two aircraft are anticipated to be completed in 2022.

“Medevac, VIP/combi configurations, and surveillance, are just some of the special missions’ mods we’ve undertaken for governments, military, border forces and private clients over the years. Creating a practical, functional area for a very precise task requires an intelligent approach, technical expertise and engineering talent, all of which we have in abundance,” adds Gillespie. “For all our special mission work, from small medevac reconfigurations, through to the large aircraft modifications, the original airframe is leveraged to perform above and beyond the original spec and is adapted for an unambiguous role. We effectively alter the aircraft DNA, so it becomes perfectly designed to execute a particular task.”

Flying Colours has noted an increased interest in special missions requests in the last six months for multi-purpose interiors, and the modification of regional jets into corporate shuttle interiors. In addition, it is expanding its capabilities to further support aerial firefighting in response to the growing crisis related to the spread of wildfires, and their presence globally.

Gillespie confirmed Flying Colours is attending the Aerial Firefighting Conference to be held in Abbotsford, BC, 26 October 2021, in support of its partners, and other specialists, in this high demand field.

Flying Colours will be talking up its special missions’ capabilities during NBAA-BACE 2021 exhibiting at Booth 923.