First Aircraft Detail

[Frenchie]

OK guys let the wealth of knowledge come out of all the nooks and crannies for this question.

I have a client who contacted me by referral. We discussed detailing one of his vehicles and he is dropping it off to me today. During our conversation he asked me if I would be interested in doing the exterior of his plane. He said it was a Piper twin comance. Four seater twin engine plane. From what he said it is smaller than most single engine planes. Anyways, never detailed a plane before. Seems as if he only wants a good wash/cleaning and possibly wax. Resources? Where do I find them? Product recommendations? Advice....?

[Ed@TheArtofShine]

I would definitely look at the aircraft first before deciding on a plan of action and buying products. The Commanche is an older Piper model and may still have the original single stage paint. If may or may not be oxidized which will affect your approach. But, for a general answer, ONR wash, clay and seal. Rejex is an excellent aircraft sealant and sold here at AG. It can be finicky to work with but it gets the job done. There are some aircraft specific products that I can steer your towards but are not sold here at AG so I wont go into detail.

The Commanche is also a retractable gear aircraft. DO NOT degrease the landing gear struts. Also, if you have never worked on an aircraft before, I would highly recommend getting with a pilot and get a good understanding of airframe components and what things do what. For instance, you do not want to clog up the static port and pitot tubes, etc. Lots can go wrong in a hurry.

[mwoolfso]

Yeah I think with aircraft you need to read up on this a lot more. For a car you just need to be sure the wheel integrity has not been affected on a detail.

You are touching the surfaces responsible for maintaining flight. Product names and nuances are critical but not enough in my opinion. The liability has to be immense considering the worst-case scenario.