On the move in a business jet: „Do you need an interior for meetings or for relaxation?“
How do you get the ideal business jet interior? Mark-André Mann, Head of Interior Solutions, has the answer.
In my professional life, I have already implemented many interior projects for business jets. And I learned very quickly that, despite the fact that aviation has so many technical regulations, no two business jets are alike. The reason for this is the personalities of the people who use these aircraft – individuals need individual environments in which to work and relax. Many customers are initially not really aware that the interior of a business jet is so versatile and customizable. And even if our customers are very familiar with private aircraft, we can almost always come up with surprising possibilities. But everything boils down to this one question: What else would you like to do with and in your business jet – apart from getting from A to B? I will write here about why this question is so important for its interior design.
- Business jets must suit the personalities of their users.
- Users with different personalities use their business jets in different ways and therefore need their interior designs to be fundamentally different: functional, representative or completely comfortable.
- An interior solutions project at Aero-Dienst has a clear process, from kick-off to project acceptance.
- A core element of our project philosophy is to prepare decisions for you in a detailed and comprehensible manner. In this way, we reduce your workload during the project.
The business jet interior must suit the personality of the user
You just want to be mobile? And in the meantime perhaps go through the latest minutes of the Supervisory Board or prepare for the Annual General Meeting over a coffee? Then you need an ergonomically perfect seat and desk combination, as well as a stable internet connection with interfaces for linking various personal devices. Of course, we will discuss with you in detail how you can work with the utmost concentration and in a productive environment.
A business jet can be a flying conference room
But the interior of a business jet can also be particularly representative. This has nothing to do with vanity, but rather with how you might receive guests and business partners. This is the same reason we meet with customers and business partners in a representative environment rather than in the break room. So, if you also use your business jet to hold meetings and meet business partners, this should be reflected in the interior design.
We have gotten to know three aviation personalities through our long experience.
Although these personalities differ according to many personal preferences, we usually hear one of three main points in conversation:
- For some people, their own business jet is a piece of work equipment for getting from point A to point B productively. The jet must be functional and needs fast internet, USB connections, a satellite phone and not much else.
- For others, it is a meeting room – and therefore must be both representative and inviting.
- A business jet is sometimes also a place of retreat between two on-site appointments, a place to decelerate. In that case perhaps we need a small sideboard, an entertainment station, a comfortable place to lie down, and a fluffy, warm carpet that you can walk on without shoes, just as you like to do in your living room at home.
Table of contents
What you will learn about this in this article:
The business jet interior must suit the personality of the user.
Many customers are amazed at what is possible today in the field of busines jet interiors.
An interior project for business jets at Aero-Dienst in 6 steps.
We consistently develop your design idea further.
All materials for the aircraft interior must be approved for aviation.
A good interior designer knows what you want - sometimes before you know it.
Interior design is fundamentally of great importance, because this is the area where you will be during the flight. The effort it takes to change the design is underestimated.
At the end of the process, the interior design of the business jet must please its owner and user, purely visually. But the business jet must also be practical to use. That is, suitable for everyday use. This means that, like a car and an apartment, the interior of a business jet has two dimensions: form and function, or aesthetic and pragmatic.
Like interior designers, we consider both. If you don't have a concrete idea, like a seating pattern in mind, then let's just talk to each other first. We won't annoy you then with aviation laws and certification regulations but will listen to you in detail.
Our first conversation with you is a bit like the Socratic method: We help you find out what you actually want and what is possible – because you often don't even know yourself what is possible.
A stone floor in a business jet? Yes, that's possible.
A stone floor provides a particularly upscale appearance. Real stone is simply unique as a material; each stone floor is a unique piece. It is a natural product that perfectly combines resilience and individual appearance. With a stone floor, a synthesis is created that many do not expect in a business jet.
Step 1: Kick-off-meeting
In the beginning, we talk to you; it’s very relaxed and basic. We want to find out what you want and what you value. In short: We want to determine your needs. And when we realize that there is potential for optimization, we tell you a little more about ourselves and what we can do. For example, we tell you how we think of interior design and what our interior solutions look like.
And then we ask you questions like these:
- Do you want to use the aircraft yourself or charter it out?
- Do you have concrete ideas, photos or design examples that you like?
- What are your next plans with the business jet?
- Are there any things in the cabin that keep bothering you?
- Do you like the seating positions and comfort in the business jet?
- Do you like the light in the business jet? The keyword here is mood lighting. The right lighting can have a positive effect on our mood. It can even have a positive effect on jet lag.
- What do you do on the plane – would you rather work or slow down? Is your business jet a flying office for you? Similar rules apply here as for the interior design of offices. If you tend to decelerate on business trips, we recommend different materials.
- Do you fly long distances and so do you need the necessary equipment for this?
Step 2: Interior Survey
The interior survey is the recording of the existing state of the entire cabin. An interior designer would probably refer to it as a potential analysis.
However, there are more limitations in aviation than in classical interior design. This is because all aircraft types are approved in a certain configuration. The configuration determines how the interior of the aircraft is constructed. This basic structure, also known as the "layout," effectively has to remain – I say effectively because changes can be approved later. That's why the cabins of the common aircraft types are very similar, but by no means all the same.
Step 3: Design Sheet
We summarize the results of our discussions with you in a design sheet. The design sheet is a paper that reflects your wishes and needs for the aircraft’s interior design and translates them into the world of business jet interior design. Mostly you will get the first visualizations that we create digitally and with hand sketches. For this, we take detailed photographs of your aircraft and lay patterns and new designs over the interior. This is how we show the different possibilities in detail – side panels, floors, furniture, colors, lighting color, the dimmability of the lights. For example, are you considering adding a diamond pattern to your existing seat upholstery design? We can visualize this in the design sheet, because something like that looks very different in photos than it does in our heads.
Step 4: Mood Board
For the mood board we will meet with you again personally. We are happy to visit you, or you can visit us in Nuremberg. Then you can take a close look at the material for your new business jet interior. We have a showroom here in Nuremberg and also mobile samples for you. Just touch some of the fabrics: Do you like the feel; is the fabric soft enough? We will show you leather, veneer, fabrics and coverings, woods, carpets, everything we use in the implementation of the project. All of the selected materials are combined on the board, which gives you an impression of the interplay of colors and materials. You can take the board home with you and think about it – perhaps ask your partner for his or her opinion. If you don't like something yet, we'll take another turn and adjust the materials or colors according to your wishes.
Step 5: We implement the interior that we have conceived with you
Now together we have a concrete goal in mind, and we will prepare a quote for you. We offer you the option to be on site with us during the implementation phase and to monitor the modification directly. In the process, we work closely with local leatherworkers, leather specialists, carpenters, surface finishers and engineering offices without bothering you with the regulatory details.
If maintenance or varnishing work on the aircraft is being done at the same time, this helps our customers to remain productive and informed at the same time. If you or your representative cannot be here, we send regular status reports so you know where we are, what we are doing at the moment and what it looks like, including photos. It also means that you can intervene directly if something doesn't suit.
If you already have concrete design ideas yourself, we will implement them and consistently develop your idea further.
We are happy to make technically possible what is already in your head. Here, too, we consistently reduce complexity in interior design: We tell you what works and what doesn't, where the limit is and where we are only close to it. In this way we can also directly implement and further develop various templates, samples and drawings that customers bring to us. These can be pictures, the customer’s own sketches or simply a few adjectives.
One customer already came to us with his car and said: “Transfer that to my business jet“ What a great project.
All materials for the aircraft interior must be approved for aviation – that's a challenge.
In aircraft, this applies to smoke and fire protection, crash safety, electrostatic shielding and much more. But don't worry about this, either in advance or while we are working for you.
We will gladly protect you from the complexity of aviation regulations. We know that you have other things on your mind.
And we also know exactly what is possible. We will always find alternative materials that are approved. Now, anything that is somehow a "substitute" sounds a little negative, but that is not the case here. There are many alternatives that are really tactile and visual equivalents. Of course, we will inform you about them.
In addition, we can also often get materials certified, and then you will definitely be the first to have this material in your business jet.
We prepare decisions for you
We get to know you well throughout the entire process, from planning to interior refurbishment, i.e. the crafting of your interior design. In case of unexpected problems, we provide equally possible solutions at the same time. We leave out options that we know have no added value for you. We never leave you alone when you are making a decision. We immediately provide the context so that you make the decision you are confident about, so that it is the easiest possible decision for you.
Conclusion: A good interior designer knows what you want – sometimes before you know it
Surely we could also say: A good business jet is equally suitable for relaxing and working. But perhaps it is not so black and white. You can work in a comfortable atmosphere, perhaps read minutes while you’re completely relaxed. We will find out what exactly makes the interior design in a business jet ideal for you and only for you. The secret of good cabin comfort is quite simple: We need to know exactly who needs it. For you, this only means that we have to talk to each other. And we look forward to hearing one thing from our customers every time: “Yes, that's exactly what I need.”
Learn more about us here or read in our INSIGHTS.
If you want to modernise the cabin of your business jet, we should talk.