A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

Canadian completions and MRO specialist Flying Colours (Booth W107) arrives at EBACE 2018 on the heels of completing the industry’s first medevac-configured Bombardier Challenger 650, already in service with Swiss air ambulance operator Air-Rescue Rega.

 


“Knowing that this particular interior was the first one on a Challenger 650 aircraft, and will literally be responsible for life-saving missions, gives all of our team great satisfaction,” said Sean Gillespie, executive vice-president Flying Colours.

 


Flying Colours design engineers developed the interior for the CL650 in conjunction with Bombardier and medical equipment specialist AeroLite, which supplied the intensive care unit (ICU) and interior re-configuration adaption plates.

 


The cabin operates as a fully functional ICU for up to two patients with attending critical care experts, or can be easily reconfigured to transport up to four patients with an accompanying medical team. The layout ensures easy egress and access for the patients and medical teams, while soundproofing has been strengthened to improve the patient, passenger, and attending clinician experience. An additional four to six seats, depending on configuration, can be included for accompanying travelers.

 


Flying Colours designed and built the majority of non-medical monuments, furnishings, and interior components, and secured the STC for the installation from Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) and EASA.

 


The livery, inspired by the Swiss national flag and the design of Rega's logo, features a red tail fin with a white cross, and a red design spanning the front portion of the fuselage, painted at Flying Colours’ dedicated paint shop at its Peterborough, Ontario headquarters.

 


Flying Colours is installing two additional CL650 medevac interiors under contract for Bombardier Specialized Aircraft, scheduled for completion by year-end.

 


More such interior work is anticipated. “We’re seeing a spike in the global medevac market,” said Gillespie. Some of the demand is coming from the charter market, where operators want combi installations, he said, with VIP interiors that can be partially removed to make room for a stretcher. “That spike will continue as the population ages,” Gillespie predicted. “It’s a trend going upward.”

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