Premium Wood Prints help bring top-flight style to aircraft interiors

Every interior design project has its challenges. After all, no two are ever exactly alike. But add in exacting federal regulations – which are much more limiting than any local building code – and you can begin to understand the unique situation the ten employees of Arizona Aircraft Interior Designs must face every day.

The truly challenging part of our job is being creative while working within the FAA’s strict guidelines,

- Mike Bryant, the company’s President & Owner

But it’s a hurdle they overcome with gusto. Established in 1975, this family-owned business is now considered to be a leading specialist in the interior refurbishment of corporate and private airplanes. From their 16,000 square foot facility at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona, the designers of Arizona Aircraft Interior Designs work with clients from all over the world. They even help maintain Marine One, the President’s helicopter, a contract they’ve held for more than 23 years.

The smooth take-off

One can see how they developed their reputation for worryfree, fully integrated service with their most recent project, the refurbishment of a Fairchild Merlin III B.

We redid everything down to the frame, says Bryant, electrical, plumbing, and the interior.

Their process begins with the design phase. “We include one-onone meetings with our certified interior designer,” explains Bryant, “so clients are not alone when making vital decisions. We also consider certification requirements, production efficiency, structural elements, and of course budget when developing our designs.”

Contemporary designs and sky-high satisfaction

For the Fairchild Merlin III B, the aircraft owner approached AAID with a number of challenges. “Our first one was to integrate the black, silver, and red exterior with the interior,” says Christa Pensworth, who oversees the company’s interior design and sales departments and who holds a commercial pilot’s license in addition to her degree in interior design. “We were also asked to make the interior look more contemporary.”

To help achieve the client’s vision, Pensworth suggested a Premium Wood Print from Lamin-Art.

They’re the only company we use exclusively. We really love the products.

– Christa Penswort

Like many clients, the owners of the Fairchild Merlin III B, live out of town, so Pensworth had to mail the designs and samples to them. “The process sometimes requires a couple visits or mailings of samples,” she says.

The final designs included two new card tables, a forward storage compartment, two forward bulkheads, two aft bulkheads, and a refreshment center. The team also removed two seats and added a divan. “This seating arrangement is not common,” Pensworth points out, “but the owner wanted to be able to have his young grandchildren sleep on the plane.”

Pensworth recognizes that design changes can happen at any time, even after the start of the installation process. “The owners came to our office to see the progress and decided the original laminate, Walnut Gloss, was a little dark for their overall design,” she says. “They ultimately chose the medium-colored Coastal Palmwood gloss, which they found on the chain set.” Once the final laminate was selected, the company’s artisans stained the existing wood trim to match it

The only disappointment that comes from the unique niche that AAID occupies in the market is that the design team rarely gets to see the owner’s reaction to the completed installation. “While clients can follow the progress via photos on Facebook,” says Pensworth “ we mostly deal with the pilots at this stage of the project.”

We heard that the client is thrilled, the ‘before and after’ is striking, and we always enjoy receiving – and reading – our client testimonials.

– Christa Pensworth

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