Flying Colours Corp. has opened the first phase of a 100,000-sq-ft MRO hangar that will accommodate the painting of aircraft as large as a VIP Boeing 737-900. The paint shop located at Flying Colours’ headquarters in Peterborough, Ontario, incorporates the latest technology to support painting on in-service and new-completion aircraft including Bombardier’s Global 7500 and Gulfstream’s G700, the company said.

The paint booth is fully computerized and climate-controlled with 168 energy-efficient lights that simulate natural daylight. With the new paint facility, Flying Colours will offer a variety of paint techniques including electro-static applications. It is using the addition of the paint facility to move away from chromate primers to non-chromate products, which Flying Colours said will deliver improved specifications and conformances for the aviation industry to improve the paint finish, reduce waste, and improve environmental protection.

Completion of the second phase of the project, expected later this spring, enables the company to perform maintenance, interior modifications, avionics upgrades, and paint simultaneously. Running such projects in parallel will reduce downtime, maximize budgets, and ensure on-time completion, the company said. “We are in a strong growth period and the additional paint shop adds real value to our existing paint facilities,” said Flying Colours president and CEO John Gillespie.