Story ID: 009Sept18
Constant Takes on Three Cabin Projects
By: James Wynbrandt
Caption: The company is performing completions work on two Global 6000s and a Gulfstream G650
Word Count: 318
Constant Aviation is in the midst of a trio of large cabin interior reconfiguration projects: two Bombardier Global 6000s for the same domestic customer and a Gulfstream G650. Scott McCool, v-p interiors and completions at Constant, said the Global reconfigurations include removing the showers that were in both and installing “kibitzer” seats, a pair of seats stowed in a credenza that add two places at the dining table, an aftermarket option Constant introduced about three years ago. The Global interiors will be virtually the same; both are getting 42-inch flat screen monitors in the aft cabin, with a pullout Ottoman that faces the monitor, an area McCool describes as a “man cave.” Both aircraft will get full paint, as well. The G650 is being converted from a three- to four-zone cabin, and is also getting kibitzer seats, which Constant is offering for Embraer Legacy models. The Global reconfigurations will take five to six months, the G650 six to seven.

McCool said when it comes to interiors today, “A lot of customers just don’t want to be normal anymore,” and are looking for unique design ideas. “They want us to think outside the box and create things inside the airplane that [other] people don’t have.” He cites speakeasies in the galley as an example. As for the old rationale of staying conservative on design to make aircraft easier to sell, McCool said, “The aftermarket is a little more relaxed—like putting a crazy carpet in versus a tan carpet.”

McCool noted the uptick in aircraft transactions is increasing demand for refurbishments, but Constant’s four locations (Cleveland’s Hopkins International and Cuyahoga County Airports; Sanford, Florida; and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport) give it the bandwidth and flexibility to meet customer needs. The company’s MRO facility in Mesa, Arizona, opened last October, is now bringing its interiors department up to full capacity.