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Aircraft Cleaner
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Aircraft Cleaner
Chemical Technology For Cleaning your Aircraft
With technology exploding in every industry it is no surprise that it is and has been happening with aircraft cleaners as
well. These "New Technology" chemicals that are hitting the market in aviation are truly remarkable. The days of using Mop
& Glo and Lemon Pledge for deice boots are long gone. The days of using "Cheater Wax" or a bottle of polish from Auto Zone
on your airplanes paint have long past as well. I guess the weekend warrior who still wants to go out on a Saturday morning
and polish up his Cessna 152 airplane may still use those types of products for a quick cleanup, but they are what they are.
They are fast cleaning chemicals that do not last and give very little protection to airplane surfaces. If you are looking
for more longevity on protecting your airplanes cosmetic appearance, the products that are available now will add years of
life to your airplanes exterior surfaces.
Over the past few months we have tested and began manufacturing a liquid wet wash, dry wash product that for now we
will just call "Aircraft Cleaner". We have always sold and manufactured the typical liquid aircraft cleaners that have
a neutral or mid range PH to wash aircraft exteriors along with others that have a higher PH for cutting ability.
Meaning, although they are safe for an aircraft cleaner in the proper dilutions and application areas and are definitely
needed in our industry, there are chemicals hitting the market now that go way beyond just ordinary aircraft cleaning
ability and PH levels that we are all used to.
I was very skeptical at first, as I always am, when we first started testing this new technology chemical. After all,
if we produce it and put it out there for the public to use, first of all it better work like we say and second, it
better be as good as advertised. One thing that we do not believe in is what we call "gimmick chemicals". We don't
believe in or would never put out a product that would damage a 30 million dollar aircraft either. So in saying all
of that, let me do my best to explain what is being produced out there to protect your aircraft and really make your
life easier if you are the one responsible for proper cleaning of your own or a customers aircraft.
Without bogging you down with all the scientific terms, what is being produced in liquid form is advanced sealer
formulations that actually bond to surfaces and create hard barriers between the finish and the outside elements.
Now what is really neat about this technology is that it can be used to wet wash or dry wash an aircraft. The more
the chemical is applied to an aircraft, meaning every time you wash an aircraft, the more the bonding takes place
for protection. The biggest advantage to this technology is in locking out corrosion. This product is not only an
unbelievable aircraft cleaner for removing dirt, oil, bugs, bird droppings and water spots associated with aircraft,
it actually bonds to the surface while providing a barrier between the painted surfaces and the elements. The chemical
sealers in the product leave no residue in the cracks, will dry clear and hard, will not reduce vision on glass or
plexiglass, does not involve buffing or hard rubbing and leaves a long lasting shine on the fuselage and wings. Every
time the product is used, it cleans and reapplies a hard protective seal. We were truly amazed and what this new
technology chemical did to aircraft that we tested on.
Our main test dummy, as usual, is a black
Bell Jet Ranger
news helicopter that hangars next door to us. The pilot has
flown for them for over 20 years and has used virtually every product ever made or given to him. He has never been able
to keep up with the exhaust problems on the tail boom without the quarterly polish job in between wet washing every
other day. We gave him some product to use and told him to clean the helicopter as he always does and after 2 weeks
to come and give us a report. He said that he has never seen a product that cleaned the exhaust so easy and it looks
freshly polished after every wash job. We can attest to his testimony and from other aircraft we tested on.
The chemical protection stems from specially formulated blends of surfactants and special polymeric protectants that
bond to the surface. Two key elements we noticed with the aircraft we tested was that it protected polished metal surfaces
unlike any other product we had tested before and it prevented water spotting. All the aircraft we tested on had paint
that was in the condition of a 6 to 7 with 10 being like new. On aircraft that has worn out, faded or oxidized paint,
we would recommend that the aircraft first be buffed to a like new appearance cleaning deep into the pores and then
start applying the new technology aircraft cleaner on a regular cleaning program for the bonding to start taking effect.
In future articles this year we will announce the release of this new chemical to the market. There are a handful of
aircraft paint polishes that claim to offer the same protection but what they are not telling you is that over periods
of time the polish will break down and lose all of it's ability to protect. The first time you have to get your aircraft
deiced, the polish is gone and leaves your paint vulnerable to the elements. With this new chemical, the bonding and
protection last and builds up every time you use it.
My next article is going to focus on an effort we are making with aircraft detailers insurance and the underwriters.
Many strides are being made to help you keep your premiums as low as possible. This is really good stuff and I am
excited to get this information out to the public.
Remember this is a forum for learning so if you have questions or different techniques please participate with us.
Be nice and agree to disagree let's all learn something about how to clean aircraft.
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Cleaning Solutions and Polishes
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