Hanneke Weitering is a writer and editor with AIN covering advanced air mobility and new flight technologies. She became an aviation journalist and joined the AIN team in the summer of 2022 after reporting on spaceflight and astronomy for six years at Space.com. After earning a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she moved to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in science, health, and environmental reporting at New York University&#039;s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. After spending several years in the Pacific Northwest, she has returned to the Knoxville area.

Science & Technology Editor

Cessna Citation 560XL, Excel, XL, XLS, and Ascend

Hanneke Weitering

Believe it or not, pigs can fly—or at least one can, in the form of a Cessna Citation 560XLS+ that Duncan Aviation painted to look like a winged pig for Ripley’s Believe It or Not! The Lincoln, Nebraska-based MRO provider, which is exhibiting at NBAA-BACE this week, unveiled the flying work of art on October 15.
Painted in 17 colors, the “flying pig” sports a gold nose ring and a gold earring shaped like a rubber chicken. White feathered wings decorate the fuselage above the airplane’s actual wings, which are painted to resemble a partly cloudy blue sky. Ripley’s branding appears on the engines and tail.&nbsp;
“They don’t call us Believe It or Not! for nothing,” said Ripley’s president Jim Pattison Jr.
Completion sales representative Angie Coleman said the job began when the chief pilot of another airplane Duncan had delivered asked whether the company could paint a Ripley’s design he had seen. That concept differed from the one Ripley’s submitted for a quote a couple of months later, she said, because of the need to adjust the flat design for the jet's body.
Lead designer Hannah Mann said translating flat art onto the curves of the fuselage, wings, and engines took close collaboration between the two companies’ designers. She said her work included refining the artwork and placement, selecting colors and finishes, and coordinating with the paint team.

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

Duncan Aviation Paints Citation 560XLS+ as Flying Pig for Ripley’s

Citation 560XLS+ paint scheme goes hog wild

Duncan Aviation painted a Cessna Citation 560XLS+ as a flying pig for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

Duncan Aviation Makes Pig Fly for Ripley’s

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charlotte Bailey

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Integrated workflow aims to streamline and simplify troubleshooting 

Veryon Unveils AI-enabled Bizjet Maintenance Platform

Chad Trautvetter

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

Investments for both projects total $50 million

Bombardier Opens Mx Training Center in Wichita

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

Six years after first approval, it now spans more than 15 models

Garmin’s Emergency Autoland System Tops 2,500 Aircraft

Matt Thurber

Avex Performance Center in Broomfield, Colorado, adds mobile maintenance services

Blackhawk Wins Anti-ice, Prop STCs; Launches Mobile Support

True Blue Power battery has an average lifespan of eight years

101 Aviation STC Tames the Li-on aboard Gulfstreams

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

NBAA-BACE 2026

In this article

Cessna Citation 560XL, Excel, XL, XLS, and Ascend

Duncan Aviation

Textron Aviation

More In Maintenance and Modifications

Veryon Unveils AI-enabled Bizjet Maintenance Platform

Integrated workflow aims to streamline and simplify troubleshooting

Bombardier Opens Mx Training Center in Wichita

Investments for both projects total $50 million

Garmin’s Emergency Autoland System Tops 2,500 Aircraft

Six years after first approval, it now spans more than 15 models

Blackhawk Wins Anti-ice, Prop STCs; Launches Mobile Support

Avex Performance Center in Broomfield, Colorado, adds mobile maintenance services

101 Aviation STC Tames the Li-on aboard Gulfstreams

True Blue Power battery has an average lifespan of eight years

U.S. Army C-12 Marks 1,000th Garmin King Air Retrofit

Stevens Aerospace installed G1000 NXi avionics and Garmin Autothrottle

Textron Aviation Realigns Mobile Service Network Teams

1Call, Go Teams, and mobile service units consolidated under Seth Parsons

Bluetail’s Auto Research Delivers Records in Seconds

System reduces research time while linking to supporting records

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN