AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2015 - 86

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FRUGAL FLIER
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Keep it clean
Give your aircraft a bath
B Y DAV E H I R S C H M A N

THE ADAGE that "A clean airplane is a safe airplane" has some truth in it.

86 | AOPA PILOT April 2015

EMAIL dave.hirschman@aopa.org

JOHN SAUER

When you wash your airplane and touch every inch of its surface, you notice
details that are otherwise easy to overlook. Loose or missing screws and fasteners, bends or cracks in the skin, chafing control surfaces, missing rubber on
fairings-the list goes on and on.
Pilots who pay others to wash their airplanes miss out on this hands-on learning opportunity, and the chance to head off little problems before they become
big ones. They also risk exposing their airplanes to the harm that can come from
clogged static ports, broken antennae, and other byproducts of well-meaning but
ill-informed or heavy-handed "helpers."
Cleaning your airplane comes in two basic varieties: Full spinner-to-tail wash
and wax jobs, and basic postflight touchups.
My former airplane partner, Don Hailey, a fireman, was a master at the
full polish. My compulsion was the postflight touchup. The tiny Pitts S-1C we
co-owned gleamed as a result of our mutual efforts.
Hailey eschewed fancy chemical cleaning products in favor of warm water,
mild soap, and lots of rubbing. He'd never forcefully spray water on the airplane
since that can do more harm than good. Pressurized water from a hose can
peel paint-especially on fabric airplanes-and force its way into places water
shouldn't be. Better to apply it with a sponge or rag, and then dry with towels.

Once the airplane surface is free of
dirt, spray-on wash wax can give it a
protective coat and make it shine. Any
number of inexpensive automotive products can do well in this area, such as
Meguiar's Ultimate Quick Detailer, or
aviation-optimized Wash Wax by Aero
Cosmetics. For shiny metal surfaces such
as the spinners, Mothers Metal Polish
works wonders. The real key is getting
the remnants off when you're finished,
and the only shortcut I know there is rubbing it off with cornstarch and a dry rag.
For basic postflight touchups, a spray
bottle of water is hard to beat. The sooner
you spray and wipe the leading edges, the
easier it will be to remove the bugs. I got
in the habit of doing it as soon as I put the
airplane in the hangar, and it's as much a
ritual as putting chocks under the tires or
filling out a logbook. Now, it seems wrong
to leave the hangar without giving the airplane a quick once-over.
Pledge is good for cleaning both the
airframe and the windshield-but make
sure you don't use anything with ammonia, as it can damage windshields.
And while we're on the subject of
things not to use, several come to mind:
Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner is a
terrific grease-cutting solvent, but it may
promote corrosion if left too long on some
metal surfaces. The company recommends
a specialized product called Extreme
Simple Green for aircraft.
Ubiquitous lubricant WD40 also
should be avoided because it can leave a
varnish when it dries that attracts dirt and
moisture, which actually can cause corrosion. Better to use a specialized aviation
product such as LPS, even though it costs
more.
Let's keep it clean out there!
AOPA

AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2015

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