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RNB

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Today was the first time I've cleaned the leading edges on my wings since it was detailed maybe a year ago. I just used very dilute dawn. I think I want to develop better habits.

Hangar neighbor showed me his "clean all wax all" blue chemical that he uses.

An old CFI swore by pledge after each flight.

What do you do and why? What products? How often?

If it matters, mine has ceramic coating and I think I need to use something to refreshen this.
 
The blue stuff is great and smells good, but it’s a bit pricey. A substitute that seems to work just as well as the blue stuff and is a little less expensive is Meguiar’s Last Touch Spray Detailer. It can be purchased via Amazon. I’ve also used Pledge in the past with good results. Kinda ends up being a Ford vs. Chevy discussion.

One thing I absolutely wouldn’t use is any type of dishwashing soap. That stuff tends to strip wax or whatever you’ve applied as a protective coating. I’m still learning the ceramic coating products so I’m not sure if it’d strip those types of coatings, but I know some folks actually use Dawn to help strip old wax from their vehicles before they start a new polish & wax process.
 
Once a year: Clay Bar to remove contaminants and apply ceramic spray wax.

After every flight: Wipe belly with diluted dawn detergent and wipe leading edges with ceramic spray wax.

 
Extreme Green after flight. Takes a few minutes to clean the bugs off leading surfaces, pants and wipe the belly clean of oil. Then a wipe with Meguires Quick Wax. To be fair, it's vinyl wrapped.
 
RNB said:
Today was the first time I've cleaned the leading edges on my wings since it was detailed maybe a year ago. I just used very dilute dawn. I think I want to develop better habits.

Hangar neighbor showed me his "clean all wax all" blue chemical that he uses.

An old CFI swore by pledge after each flight.

What do you do and why? What products? How often?

If it matters, mine has ceramic coating and I think I need to use something to refreshen this.
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I use Bug Slide after every flight to remove the bugs (i.e., acid bombs). I just started using Rejex on the leading edges, and it seems to make removing the bugs even easier. I use Griotts Garage “Best in Show” wax on the wing and fuselage tops, because that is what Van’s uses/used at Oshkosh on their display planes. Super easy to apply.
 
Whatever cleaner you use, a 5 gallon bucket with a microfiber towel always at the ready in the hangar allows you to wipe down the leading edges and prop immediately after flying before the bugs harden up. It’s way easier than waiting until later. Personally I put just a little bit of Rainex windshield washer bug formula in the water. May not be good for wax, but it does help with the bugs. I think I stole that idea from Paul New.
 
I spray the leading edges with water (and any other spots with dead bugs) and wipe them with a microfiber cloth after every flight. Makes it very essy to keep the plane clean.

When the belly needs a wash, I spray on mineral spirits, let it sit for a few minutes, wipe off, spray again, wipe, and then use Simple Green Extreme (safe for aluminum) if needed, and rinse with water.

For wax, I use Meguiar’s Ultimate Quick Wax. Spray on, wipe off. It stays for a pretty good while, is nice and slick, and makes the plane look great.
 
The leading edges of the wings, canopy, wheel pants and prop are hit with a spray bottle filled with windshield washer fluid (water with a touch of alcohol) and a microfiber cloth after every flight. A couple of times a year the entire plane gets a Turkish bath using car wash detergent (a bucket of car wash, a bucket of clear water, and three towels).
I can't image what my leading edges would look like if they hadn't been cleaned in a year......
 
I use a teaspoon of Simple green in a quart spray bottle filled with water. I clean all leading edges after each flight. with the spray bottle and a microfiber cloth
For cleaning the Belly, I use Awesome from Dollar General at 100% concentration whipped off with Bowny paper towel. Follow it with the simple green solution then I use Lucas Ceramic Speed wax polished with a microfiber cloth. Works well.

I also use the Lucas Ceramic Speed wax on the leading edges about once a month and on the entire plane 2 - 3 times a year.
 
+1 on plain (plane) water after each flight. The critters come off quickly when fresh, but if you let them dry on for a few days, weeks, months then your ceramic coating is a waste. You can spend 10 minutes post flight, or much more time when they get hard and crusty.

Curious, how often do you clean the canopy?
 
rocketman1988 said:
Man, I wish I had the time to wipe the entire airplane down after each flight!
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I meant each time I put her back in the hangar, since that's where I keep the cleaning supplies. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that getting them while they're "fresh" is less time consuming than waiting.

BTW - How often do you wash your cars? Mine get exterior at least weekly and a full detail once a year.
 
rolivi said:
I meant each time I put her back in the hangar, since that's where I keep the cleaning supplies. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that getting them while they're "fresh" is less time consuming than waiting.

BTW - How often do you wash your cars? Mine get exterior at least weekly and a full detail once a year.
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The constraint in my world is usually time. Cleaning airplanes and cars <unfortunately> isn't a priority very often. I just had the -10 at the paint shop (had a problem with paint adhesion on the belly that they corrected) and the owner (a friend) said "You don't wash it very often, do you?".

Um, no...
 
When I fly with my buddies, they say "we can tell the difference between the builders and the buyers" - the builders typically clean the bugs off right after landing.

Even our club rental aircraft get the bugs cleaned off between pilots, which means that they might get the leading edge cleaned 5-10 times a day. We have a lot of bugs here in the warmer months.

Had a nice session of bug cleaning yesterday, and was wondering when someone will come up with a bug repellant coating where they don't stick at all....
 
rv8ch said:
When I fly with my buddies, they say "we can tell the difference between the builders and the buyers" - the builders typically clean the bugs off right after landing.

Even our club rental aircraft get the bugs cleaned off between pilots, which means that they might get the leading edge cleaned 5-10 times a day. We have a lot of bugs here in the warmer months.

Had a nice session of bug cleaning yesterday, and was wondering when someone will come up with a bug repellant coating where they don't stick at all....
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We need to be able to coat the leading edges with the same stuff that the waterless urinals are.
 
So be careful with cleaners we have had issues on the aircraft i work on with cleaner residue getting under the faying surfaces and resulting in corrosion.

Our recommended exterior cleaners are Knipps KPS 110 cleaner which is used for removing exhaust residue.

Wash wax all for general exterior cleaning.

Any cleaner that meets MIL-PRF- 87937 for light to medium exterior cleaning.

Any cleaner that meets MIL-PRF-85570 for heaver degreasing.
 
I clean my aircraft off after every flight, for me, it's a way of helping to inspect for potential issues and it's a pride thing. Admittedly, there are times when I only clean the canopy before putting the cover on and then come back the next day and clean the airplane.

In reality, I've found a stuff that makes taking off bugs so easy, that it just doesn't take that much time. If it wasn't for this stuff, I might not make the time to do it after every flight. At first, it seems expensive until you look at how much the concentrate makes. I'm sharing a quart with a hangar mate and we're still on that first quart after 400 combined hours. Links below:

Home page for the product
Spruce price/availability
Amazon

Here's a picture from two days ago showing what happened to a bug literally 10 seconds after spraying.

Spinner Bug.jpg

FYI - I use/dilute 1 oz. per quart, spray, wait 10 - 15 seconds and then wipe down with a microfiber cloth.
 
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After every flight, (even when traveling) , a simple mist of water from small hand sprayer and a microfiber cloth for the "bug smash areas" at a minimum. I seldom do a full wash, typically use the Lucas Spray Detailer or similar to keep it slick. Formula 409 on a microfiber for the belly area on occasion. I know the cautions on 409 with aluminum; I spent the last 46 years mitigating corrosion on airliners.
 
I use aero cosmetics wash wax all after every flight focusing on leading edges, but 90% of the time I wipe down leading edges and all top surfaces. Aero cosmetics belly spray once in a while on the belly. For stubborn stains I use the aero cosmetics polish. Collinite 845 wax when I feel it is needed, though wash wax all seems to be a great maintainer.

Plexus on canopy pretty much after every flight as well. Microfiber towels on the canopy are single use for me. Microfiber I use on the airframe I may get a few passes out of each one depending on soils. When they appear dirty or may have something abrasive in them, I discard them.

Only time I use water is if the pane is covered in abrasive dust after sitting for a bit. I Iike to avoid soaking the plane down with water and I certainly wouldn’t do it often.
 
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