PPG Aerospace Coatings Create Showpiece Finish for Carrington Jet

When Carrington Holding Co. took delivery of its first Bombardier Global Express XRS business jet, company officials were impressed with the aircraft from the interior to its custom paint job. PPG aerospace coatings in metallic blue, metallic titanium and Las Vegas Gold dazzle beneath the white fuselage, engine cowling and vertical stabilizer that are accented by a special-effect paint appropriately named Carrington Pearl Blue.

Paint specialists at Bombardier’s Service Center in Tucson, Arizona, used a three-layer PPG topcoat system to create a showpiece finish on Carrington’s Bombardier Global Express XRS jet. PPG’s Mojave, California, paint experts mixed DESOTHANE® HS 8000 topcoat in Carrington Pearl Blue, which was applied over whiteDesothane HS 8800 topcoat in a gradated luminescent horizontal stripe on the fuselage, along the vertical stabilizer leading edge and across the engine cowling. Metallic titanium and Las Vegas Gold stripes swoop across the plane, with striping and the fuselage bottom painted in metallic blue, all in Desothane HS 8000 topcoat. A final coat of clear Desothane HS 8800 topcoat over the aircraft enhances the finish with a high-gloss shine and superior image reflection.

“The overall effect is absolutely stunning,” said Carrington CEO Bruce Rose, owner and pilot of a Bombardier Global Express* jet. “While we have had the same fleet paint scheme for more than 10 years, the updated version with Carrington Pearl Blue was made possible through the amazing efforts of the PPG and Bombardier Tucson teams. The aircraft draws a crowd on the ramp wherever it goes. It is truly a unique airplane. The rest of our fleet will be updated to match.”

According to Laurel Rodricks, PPG senior sales and marketing development manager for aerospace coatings, such successes are the result of the exceptional efforts by PPG color experts.

“PPG’s Mojave team did an outstanding job for Bombardier and its customer by mixing the exact custom pearl blue color that Carrington envisioned,” said Rodricks. “Bombardier’s Tucson paint shop knows this dedicated PPG team makes every effort to understand what the customer is asking, even if it is from several hundred miles away, and is confident that PPG will provide its customers with colors that surpass their expectations.”

Bombardier’s paint specialists prepared the plane for the PPG topcoats by first applying DESOPRIME™ HS 7700 primer and then DESOFILL™ HS 8620G chrome-free sanding surfacer, which affords excellent intercoat adhesion to the topcoat and primer and has flexibility to avoid topcoat cracks and chips for a smooth finish.

In addition to aerospace coatings, PPG supplies cockpit and passenger-cabin windows to Bombardier for Global Express XRS jets. PPG sealants used include PR-1776M for the integral fuel tanks, corrosion-inhibitive PRO-SEAL™ 870 fuselage sealant, PR-1198 sealant as a secondary fuel-vapor barrier on the center wing box exterior and PR-1425 windshield sealant.

As the winner of six consecutive FAA Diamond Awards, the Bombardier Tucson Service Center provides industry-leading, tip-to-tail Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) expertise to Bombardier aircraft owners and operators. Its dedicated teams are equipped to perform support services on Learjet*, Challenger* and Global* business aircraft. The facility is backed by Bombardier’s 24/7 technical help desks, in-service engineering teams and support staff deployed around the world.

In addition to corporate transport, the Carrington Global Express XRS jet flies in support of the Veterans Airlift Command, providing free airlift for catastrophically wounded veterans from the post-9/11 conflicts. The Veterans Airlift is in turn supported by the Carrington Charitable Foundation in its diversified veterans support missions.