ART WITHIN SURFACES
A Galactic Painting for a Virgin Galactic’s Aircraft Using lifts and climbing onto scaffoldings: to provide Virgin Galactic’s aircraft with a new graphic layout, Duncan Aviation relied on the skills and expertise of John Stahr, an artist specialised in customised painting projects on automotive and aircrafts.
C
ustomised painting projects require
experts in this specific occasion.
satisfaction, especially when I see my creation
careful planning and skilled execution,
“When we scheduled the paint job for Virgin’s
parked next to the traditional white aircraft with
especially when they involve airplanes
Galactic Girl at our Battle Creek, Michigan,
three stripes. I love turning flying machines into
and other aircrafts that have to be painted
location, we knew John was the extra team
eye candy,” declared Stahr.
using lifts and need to endure extreme weather
member we needed to complete the paint
The customer requested its Dassault Falcon
conditions.
scheme the way we envisioned it,” explained
900EX to mesh well with the rest of Virgin’s
Duncan Aviation – a business jet service
Nate Darlington, the Completions Sales Rep. at
aircraft fleet, specifically the SpaceShipTwo.
provider – has a solid experience in this field, as
Duncan Aviation. John Stahr has more than 40
Lori Browning, a designer from Duncan
it always supports aircraft owners and airlines
years of experience in custom paint projects, as
Aviation, collaborated with the client to craft
companies in all their painting projects, whether
he started working on vehicles during the ‘70s
several proposals that incorporated a handful
is a digital camo, a Matterhorn white with a
and later implemented also vans, motorcycles,
of SpaceShipTwo characteristics, including
stripe or a concept design inspired by Jackson
race team trucks and luxury coaches to his
the black belly and the logos. The artist and
Pollock. Sometimes, to better expand the scope
wide portfolio. Since 2003, the artist has only
the paint team then created some full-scale
of its services, the company cooperates with
dedicated himself to painting customised
patterns by projecting layout sketches onto
talented artists from all over the world such as
aircrafts. “Painting something unique on
white paper and Stahr transferred the drawings
John Stahr, who joined Duncan Aviation’s paint
a business jet brings me a great deal of
on a substrate surface previously prepped.
© Duncan Aviation
86
N. 73 - JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 - international PAINT&COATING magazine
© Duncan Aviation
