Aircraft Cleaning – The Do’s & Don’t’s
Did someone say cleaning an aeroplane, by hand!?
There’s a common misconception in the industry that ‘car cleaning’ products are, as the title suggests, just for cars. The truth of the matter is you can practically use these products (more-so the pH Neutral ones) on a variety of subjects… cars, bikes, motorhomes to name a few. Not forgetting the fact that they’re perfect for cleaning around the house, although we wouldn’t recommend Snow Foaming! However, there’s one subject rarely spoken about and that’s cleaning on aircrafts…
We recently had the opportunity to attend a local airstrip for a Fly-in BBQ event. Sounds pretty cool, right? No landing fees, reasonably priced food & drink, not forgetting the views of the South Downs. On a mission, the team set about educating owners of the event on the importance of keeping their aircraft clean & the products available to do so – easily. However, more importantly than all, the significance of sticking to safe, pH Neutral products.
You’ll hear many pilots say it: “post-flight cleaning is vital”! The idea behind it is to improve safety , prevent corrosion and protect your equipment . Allowing dirt and other pollutants to accumulate is asking for trouble on all three of these points. Unlike most cars, aircraft have very thin layers of paint if they’re lucky, and this isn’t to the quality you might expect; after all, they are not designed for winter grime, gathering salt & mud with the occasional bit of road rash. The most common enemy for an aircraft is actually bugs! This said, most will agree that aircraft cleaning isn’t typically at the forefront of your mind as a pilot, so that’s why we’ve taken steps to educate owners on how to find the perfect balance between efficiency & safety.
The aircraft attending provided a perfect example of the varying types of materials and finishes found on light aircraft. With finishes found from bare aluminium to polyfibre, many products from the ValetPRO range are perfect for use on surfaces of the aircraft. Among them were a great mix of Cessna, Eurofox, Bristell and various helicopters, all flying in from around the UK! Not having much room for luggage, we narrowed the cleaning recommendation down to a bucket size, covering the needs for most.
- Citrus Pre Wash – diluted 1:8. Perfect for breaking down general grime, especially bug splats prior to shampooing.
- Self-Dilute Bottle.
- Large Sash Brush.
- Bucket & Grit Guard.
- Concentrated Car Wash – diluted 30ml of product to every 5L of water. This is the core of the contact wash, to cover any areas the pre-wash did not successfully clean.
- Advanced Microfibre Wash Mitt.
- Drying Towel (Grey).
- Glass Cleaner – spray on, wipe off. Removes any smears and stubborn stains.
- Microfibre Glass Cloths.
- Classic All Purpose Cleaner – if you fancy getting into some of the interior details, this is your warrior.
- Multi Purpose Microfibre Cloths.
This was a great opportunity for ValetPRO to assist in raising some money for the Aerodrome and the local Air Ambulance Charity ( https://www.aakss.org.uk ). If you have any questions about our range or wish to find out more about ValetPRO then please click the following link to make contact with us.