Starting a 26 hour detail w/ pics

[king air pilot]

After the work I did on my truck my boss asked if I could do the same to some of our aircraft. This will be my 3rd plane that I have done for the company. This is Kingair B200 turboprop. As you can see from the following pic the biggest issue is the carbon on the wings from the burning of jet fuel. That has been compounded by using strong cleaners to remove the carbon and letting it dry before giving it a good rinse.


This is an area of the wing that is just behind the exhaust stack. After much experimentation. I used Klasse triple cleaner wax. But it does do a nice job removing the carbon.

Well thats 1 wing cleaned.

Now 1 engine bright and shiney

Just a pic of the whole plane its not buffed out yet.

I estimate about 24-30 hours of buffing and abut 3 quarts of Klasse all in one polish. Its alot of work but I love to fly them and want them to look great just like my truck.

See Ya
Mike

[Jimmie]

Nice job on a very nice airplane.

[Craig]

King Air Pilot, I assume you spend some time around planes.
What I'm wondering is, are there people or companies that have planes that don't care about the looks and never detail? Do you think there's a untapped market for the service?

[Jimmie]

Originally Posted by Craig

King Air Pilot, I assume you spend some time around planes.
What I'm wondering is, are there people or companies that have planes that don't care about the looks and never detail? Do you think there's a untapped market for the service?

At the risk of seeming like a thread hijack I thought that you both might find this of interest. When I first came on AGOL there was a person that had an airplane detail company. He had a crew of two or three. A complete detail inside and out (he used a Lear Jet as an example) would take them approx. three days. He would get two to three thousand dollars. One of the reasons: insurance. Makes sense. All you would need to do is dent the leading edge of a wing and you would be paying for a long time.

[Craig]

Very good point Jimmie. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Detail 1,000 - insurance 2,000 , dent the leading edge of the wing
PRICELESS

[king air pilot]

Thanks for the kind words. Jimmie has a very good point for instance the are 2 "windshields" on the plane we just replaced 1 due to a heating problem. The cost $20,000 for 1 side. Airplanes have HUGE cost in any parts.

With that said in all the airports I have seen only 1 did I ever see a detail truck working on a plane. Do I think there is a market, you bet but you dont just put up a business card and expect to get a call. This whole flying gig is who you know. There is no way I would ever do it without insurance.

Hey if you want to do it I would be more than happy to help with questions. I cart around allot of wealthy people and know they dont care how much something costs just as long as it looks great and is done on time.

Cheers
Mike

[Jimmie]

Originally Posted by king air pilot

Thanks for the kind words. Jimmie has a very good point for instance the are 2 "windshields" on the plane we just replaced 1 due to a heating problem. The cost $20,000 for 1 side. Airplanes have HUGE cost in any parts.

With that said in all the airports I have seen only 1 did I ever see a detail truck working on a plane. Do I think there is a market, you bet but you dont just put up a business card and expect to get a call. This whole flying gig is who you know. There is no way I would ever do it without insurance.

Hey if you want to do it I would be more than happy to help with questions. I cart around allot of wealthy people and know they dont care how much something costs just as long as it looks great and is done on time.

Cheers
Mike

Geeez! Worth it though if it's the only thing between you and a 300mph bird.

[Craig]

I gave it some thought. If I were to start a plane detailing business, I would have to work hard. (I retired a little over a year ago from a state prison). From what I understand, there's a new thing called income redistribution. Either way I'm going to get money from the wealthy. The question is????? Why work for it if you don't have to. I understand there's health insurance too. It's only fair.