Airplane detailing

**jwgreen6** · 07-04-2012, 06:56 AM

I was wondering if there are any special considerations detailing airplanes? I read somewhere on the internet that there are certain areas you have to be careful when polishing the body of an aircraft. I expect the interior is treated like a typical car or boat.

As far as I know, nobody is doing aircraft detailing in my area (NE Indiana), or at least they're not advertising it. Thanks.

**A-train** · 07-04-2012, 07:15 AM

I personally cant say maybe some of the experienced aircraft detailers will chime in. I know B&B detailing does and Joe at Superior Shine are very experienced with aircraft. I would send them a PM.

**Vegas Transplant** · 07-04-2012, 07:18 AM

Excellent suggestion A-train!

Great advice in this thread also...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...-products.html

**Bates Detailing** · 07-08-2012, 03:04 AM

Aircraft Detailing is a whole nother ball game man - First off.... the paint is very hard and has no clear (most aircraft anyhow). Second, yes there are areas that MUST be taped down for the protection of the aircraft and the crew! Pitot tubes should be taped and static ports should be taped, especially if waxing and/or polishing. Also, there are areas in the landing gear that are of the utmost importance..... especially the grease in certain areas (looks like it should be cleaned but shouldn't be). Feel free to contact me anytime if you have questions at 615.967.8121 - better to be sure than to risk lives (sounds cliche, but it is true!)

**M64** · 07-08-2012, 04:38 AM

Being a Pilot myself, it makes aircraft detailing a lot easier as I know my way around aircraft.

B&B is absolutely right with regard to covering up pitot tubes, static ports and knowing what grease must be left alone etc.

also as he mentioned, aircraft paint is very hard so using the correct products will help a lot.

watch out for rivets, as the paint seems to be thinner on the them

keep in mind that the painted area on an aircraft can be 3 - 4 times (and more) than on a car so adjust your pricing correctly as you don't want to over work yourself.

a creeper is a good investment for when it comes to doing the underside of the fuselage, wings and tail plane etc.

Here is a thread I posted a while back of an aircraft I did. it might give you some ideas

Ravin 500 - Enhancement Detail

every aircraft is different so maybe for starting out, ask the owner/ pilot to walk you round and point out the things to stay away from

hope this helps

**jwgreen6** · 07-10-2012, 09:34 PM

Originally Posted by B&B Tennessee

Aircraft Detailing is a whole nother ball game man - First off.... the paint is very hard and has no clear (most aircraft anyhow). Second, yes there are areas that MUST be taped down for the protection of the aircraft and the crew! Pitot tubes should be taped and static ports should be taped, especially if waxing and/or polishing. Also, there are areas in the landing gear that are of the utmost importance..... especially the grease in certain areas (looks like it should be cleaned but shouldn't be). Feel free to contact me anytime if you have questions at 615.967.8121 - better to be sure than to risk lives (sounds cliche, but it is true!)

Originally Posted by M64

Being a Pilot myself, it makes aircraft detailing a lot easier as I know my way around aircraft.

B&B is absolutely right with regard to covering up pitot tubes, static ports and knowing what grease must be left alone etc.

also as he mentioned, aircraft paint is very hard so using the correct products will help a lot.

watch out for rivets, as the paint seems to be thinner on the them

keep in mind that the painted area on an aircraft can be 3 - 4 times (and more) than on a car so adjust your pricing correctly as you don't want to over work yourself.

a creeper is a good investment for when it comes to doing the underside of the fuselage, wings and tail plane etc.

Here is a thread I posted a while back of an aircraft I did. it might give you some ideas

Ravin 500 - Enhancement Detail

every aircraft is different so maybe for starting out, ask the owner/ pilot to walk you round and point out the things to stay away from

hope this helps

Thanks. I appreciate the input.

Do airplanes require a different approach or chemicals than what we use on cars? What type of mechanical polisher would you use? I've seen photos of drum-style polishers on long poles polishing large areas of jumbo jets. The "BuffPro" polisher comes to mind...

**Bates Detailing** · 07-10-2012, 09:39 PM

Originally Posted by jwgreen6

Thanks. I appreciate the input.

Do airplanes require a different approach or chemicals than what we use on cars? What type of mechanical polisher would you use? I've seen photos of drum-style polishers on long poles polishing large areas of jumbo jets. The "BuffPro" polisher comes to mind...

I've seen those and been interested in them more for RVs but have never used them. I have always used a rotary polisher and aircraft approved products. Many use auto products and have great results and there may be no difference, I always felt that using only aircraft approved products sounds great and covers your rear IMO.

**M64** · 07-11-2012, 04:48 AM

I used a DA and it worked fine however a rotary would be better. I use Car products (mostly Meguiars) on aircraft and supply the MSDS sheets if requested by the owner. Also some of Meguiars products are approved by Pilatus.

**Joe@Superior Shine** · 10-28-2012, 10:30 PM

We use rotary to correct the finish and DAs only to apply the sealant. As stated the paint is hard. You will waste lots of time trying to correct with a DA on an airplane.

**jwgreen6** · 07-11-2013, 08:24 AM

Originally Posted by B&B Tennessee

Aircraft Detailing is a whole nother ball game man - First off.... the paint is very hard and has no clear (most aircraft anyhow). Second, yes there are areas that MUST be taped down for the protection of the aircraft and the crew! Pitot tubes should be taped and static ports should be taped, especially if waxing and/or polishing. Also, there are areas in the landing gear that are of the utmost importance..... especially the grease in certain areas (looks like it should be cleaned but shouldn't be). Feel free to contact me anytime if you have questions at 615.967.8121 - better to be sure than to risk lives (sounds cliche, but it is true!)

I didn't realize this thread is a year old already!

What about insurance? I know detailing cars you need liability and perhaps garaging insurance, but what about aircraft insurance? After all some planes may be worth more than some third-world country's GDP. I expect most aircraft are detailed at an airport thus super-anal Federal regulations must be considered, too.

One more question, how do you formulate the cost of detailing an aircraft? Thanks. -- Jim