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washing the plane

  • Thread starter Thread starter vossdr1
  • Start date Start date
  • Watchers Watchers 55

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Do you wash your company's plane?

  • Are you kidding? I don't wash my own car!

    Votes: 241 66.0%
  • Sometimes if we can't find an "eager" lineman.

    Votes: 51 14.0%
  • My official job title-washboy/switchmonkey

    Votes: 73 20.0%

  • Total voters
    365
Firemen? Seriously?? Most firemen don't have college degrees and spent hours studying to get where they are. They don't have to worry about check rides, feds, etc.


Thanks I'll make sure I tell my old man he doesn't have to worry about the feds anymore. (Just became ARFF certified for the CFD 30 years on the job last week detailed to MDW/ORD) Hope you don't fly into MDW or ORD.
 
I'm ultimately responsible for the way my airplane looks. As such, I clean the nacells a lot, as all King Air drivers probably have. With three King Airs, my company would have to employ a full-time "nacell guy" if we didn't do it.

I enjoy washing the plane periodically. I'm not required to. I can hire someone if I choose. However, I enjoy knowing where every scratch, oil streak, and soot streak is supposed to be. I have caught things that I would have never picked up on a normal preflight inspection. I am intimately familiar with my airplane, and that makes me feel comfortable.

On the other hand, if I were required to do it, I would probably resent it a little.
Funny, 7 years later, with a full time detail guy on our staff for the last 5+ years, I am now in the "hell no!" category. Plus, I think washing a 900EX looks dangerous. He's way up there...
Ahh, perspective...
 
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Funny, 7 years later, with a full time detail guy on our staff for the last 5+ years, I am now in the "hell no!" category. Plus, I think washing a 900EX looks dangerous. He's way up there...
Ahh, perspective...

Well, we have a aircraft cleaner that periodically washes the aircraft and cleans the interior weekly. Having said that, I would not require our guys to wash an aircaft but it might make for a fun team building day. Pizza and a few suds...with the schedulers in wet tee shirts and the mechs trying to drown us. Our motto is "just because it's work doesn't mean we can't have fun".
 
We have to clean "take the bugs off" each day we fly. If there will be an over night we usually have to wax before and after! Won't even get to details if someone really makes a mess or spills something.....I knew this going in and from the unemployment line needed to pay the bills...The annual training contract is another thing too! Until things turn around and there are more jobs than pilots this stuff will happen. Not forever just for now.

Chairman
 
I can only speak for myself, but I often find myself passing the time between trips with this thing I call a "Life".

Don't get me wrong, I think that it's great when someone doesn't mind getting there hands dirty, but one of the problems with people (especially in our profession) doing things outside of there job description is that after a while it starts to become expected of you.


I'm sure no one expects anything from you, so don't worry.

I know, I should go back to the maint. board where I'll be able to speak intelligently. Thats your standard cop out bs line that makes you feel so smart.
Just face it, your a loser. ha,ha,ha.
 
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Ok, little boy. Now run along and let the adults have their conversation.
 
...I'm a little bored on this trip and it's so nice outside - I wish I could wash the plane.
 
I have yet to arrive at an fbo and see an aircraft being washed by anybody let alone by pilots. I fly about 10 hours a month currently but I used to fly about 900 a year and I can't recall such an event. It must happen while we sleep or something. Wash ferry? All done behind closed doors?
 
And yet they're always clean...weird.
 

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