N1RD by Duncan Aviation
What began as a white Citation CJ3+ with factory stripes became a 46-color, full-scale piece of flying art — and the most intricate paint scheme Duncan Aviation have ever completed.
A Duncan family-owned aircraft, N1RD reflects a deeply personal vision inspired by Robert and Karen Duncan’s love of art, travel, color, and creative risk. Bold graphics, hand-laid details, eyes, flies, flowers, and layered design elements come together in a finish that is impossible to ignore.
The project took two years of concept development, close collaboration between Duncan Aviation Design and Paint teams, and extensive layout, masking, and sequencing to translate the artwork into an airworthy finish.
Howard Hughes Boeing 307 Stratoliner
In 1939, American billionaire, record-setting pilot, engineer, film director, and philanthropist Howard Hughes started making plans for a goodwill flying tour of some of the world’s capitals, and a Stratonliner was just the thing he needed.
He paid a reported $315,000 ($6,551,750 in today's money) for one directly to Boeing, customized it, and started flight tests. But then World War II happened, and all of Hughes’ plans fell apart. The plane sat in a storage for a number of years as the U.S. Army repeatedly tried to claim it for service. To avoid that, Hughes kept it mostly in parts.
In 1949, Hughes decided to part with the Stratoliner, so he gave it a remodel. He invested $400,000 ($8,319,683 in today's money) into further customizing it and turning it into “The Flying Penthouse.”
It lived up to its name: with a redesign by Raymond Loewy and creative input by actress Rita Hayworth, it now featured a bar and a generously-sized lounge, bunk beds in the rear, and a very spacious bathroom.
Houston millionaire Glenn McCarthy bought it on a lease, offering it for celebrity flights to and from Shamrock Hotel under the moniker The Shamrock. When McCarthy defaulted on payments, Hughes got the plane back.