Duncan Aviation recently put its aircraft customization skills to the test on one of its own company jets. The Cessna Citation 560XLS, recently unveiled in a private ceremony, carries an elaborate paint scheme from artist Nancy Friedemann Sánchez, who like Duncan itself, is based in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was commissioned by Robert Duncan, the family-run company’s chairman emeritus, and his wife Karen, art aficionados who had admired Sánchez’s work at an art show.
The design process took an entire year, as Sánchez began with small sketches of various elements, which were eventually added over the Citation’s medium blue base color by stencil or hand drawing. The aircraft exterior was divided into 14 sections, and a team of six workers masked and unmasked areas as needed, explained paint master specialist Stacy Finch. “Since everything is covered, it was a challenge to remember where each color went,” Finch explained. “It’s like working on a big puzzle.”
More In Maintenance and Modifications
