- News
- Jul 10, 2026
- 5 min read
Duncan Aviation Unveils CJ3+ Paint Scheme Designed to “Look at the Sky”
At the request of Duncan Aviation Chairman Emeritus Robert Duncan and his wife, Karen, the company spent two years developing and then executing a colorful CJ3+ paint scheme, the most complex ever created through its maintenance and repair program.
Duncan Aviation has completed the most complex paint project in its history. A modest white Cessna Citation CJ3+ with factory stripes was transformed into a riot of color, featuring 46 shades, hand-painted butterflies, flowers and intricate ornaments. At the center of this expressionist canvas are two enormous eyes, looking toward the runway while simultaneously piercing the sky. Company representatives note that the design embodies the imagination of Duncan Aviation Chairman Emeritus Robert Duncan, his wife, Karen, and the entire paint shop team.
Although aircraft N1RD was delivered in a standard livery, the Duncans saw it as a blank canvas. For them, it was a way to challenge their own team, symbolically inaugurate a new hangar in Lincoln, make a statement and create an aircraft that could not be mistaken for any other in the world.
The Duncans have long been known for their love of art: they collect artists’ works, interact personally with the creators and invariably find room for creativity on their aircraft. Back in 1965, immediately after their wedding, Robert’s friends painted the words “Just Married” on his Beechcraft Travel Air. The head of the family acknowledges that, over time, this genre became their signature, and their collection now includes five or six aircraft with custom paintwork.
Work on the new aircraft began two years ago, lead designer Hannah Mann says. The team was eager to create something completely unconventional. Robert and Karen first proposed their own sketches, after which artists from the design and paint department were asked to develop their own concepts. Of approximately 30 initial ideas, 15 were selected for further development. Karen insisted on a bold, even eccentric solution. Ultimately, the winning sketch came from paint specialist Troy Reinke, who sought to devise something unprecedented yet in keeping with the clients’ tastes.
The ornamentation evokes motifs from Mexican art and culture; the Duncan family has had ties to Puerto Vallarta for many years. Karen was particularly enchanted by the butterflies: despite their modest size, they provide a vivid accent on the tail, nose and engine nacelles. She explained their inclusion as a simple and poetic reference to flight. The couple called the eyes the most striking detail; in their view, they are what make the aircraft’s appearance truly memorable and expressive, instantly capturing attention.
Mann described in detail how Reinke’s artwork was transformed into a complete paint scheme. The original sketch was divided into numerous individual shapes, but the original work contained gradients, shifts in light and shadows that were lost during the separation process. Recreating them required 46 different colors. Each area went through a full cycle: planning, masking, paint application, removal of the protective masking and final finishing. At the same time, the team continued working on other orders despite the main project’s exceptional complexity.
Robert insisted that the Citation CJ3+ become the first aircraft painted in Duncan Aviation’s new Lincoln hangar, which opened in January.
Duncan Aviation has completed the most complex paint project in its history. A modest white Cessna Citation CJ3+ with factory stripes was transformed into a riot of color, featuring 46 shades, hand-painted butterflies, flowers and intricate ornaments. At the center of this expressionist canvas are two enormous eyes, looking toward the runway while simultaneously piercing the sky. Company representatives note that the design embodies the imagination of Duncan Aviation Chairman Emeritus Robert Duncan, his wife, Karen, and the entire paint shop team.
Although aircraft N1RD was delivered in a standard livery, the Duncans saw it as a blank canvas. For them, it was a way to challenge their own team, symbolically inaugurate a new hangar in Lincoln, make a statement and create an aircraft that could not be mistaken for any other in the world.
The Duncans have long been known for their love of art: they collect artists’ works, interact personally with the creators and invariably find room for creativity on their aircraft. Back in 1965, immediately after their wedding, Robert’s friends painted the words “Just Married” on his Beechcraft Travel Air. The head of the family acknowledges that, over time, this genre became their signature, and their collection now includes five or six aircraft with custom paintwork.
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Work on the new aircraft began two years ago, lead designer Hannah Mann says. The team was eager to create something completely unconventional. Robert and Karen first proposed their own sketches, after which artists from the design and paint department were asked to develop their own concepts. Of approximately 30 initial ideas, 15 were selected for further development. Karen insisted on a bold, even eccentric solution. Ultimately, the winning sketch came from paint specialist Troy Reinke, who sought to devise something unprecedented yet in keeping with the clients’ tastes.
The ornamentation evokes motifs from Mexican art and culture; the Duncan family has had ties to Puerto Vallarta for many years. Karen was particularly enchanted by the butterflies: despite their modest size, they provide a vivid accent on the tail, nose and engine nacelles. She explained their inclusion as a simple and poetic reference to flight. The couple called the eyes the most striking detail; in their view, they are what make the aircraft’s appearance truly memorable and expressive, instantly capturing attention.
Mann described in detail how Reinke’s artwork was transformed into a complete paint scheme. The original sketch was divided into numerous individual shapes, but the original work contained gradients, shifts in light and shadows that were lost during the separation process. Recreating them required 46 different colors. Each area went through a full cycle: planning, masking, paint application, removal of the protective masking and final finishing. At the same time, the team continued working on other orders despite the main project’s exceptional complexity.
Robert insisted that the Citation CJ3+ become the first aircraft painted in Duncan Aviation’s new Lincoln hangar, which opened in January.
