washing the plane

[Gulfstream 200]

Any pilot that thinks he's above washing the airplane is certainly beneath contempt. What a pathetic, arrogant attitude. Some of you have your noses so high in the air, it's snowing on your overvalued brains.

Your company employs someone to do it, fine. Are you better than that person? Is that person lowering themself by washing the airplane? Don't say yes...that person is doing the job you won't step from your lofty position to do. Someone has to do it, right?

With that in mind, don't look so far down on others who DO wash their airplanes. You're not as high up as you think.

Avbug,

Its the internet...nobody washes a plane, nobody carries bags to the car, nobody works for under 250k/yr.

and if one really has to post here screaming about how horrfic the thought of doing so is...Im guessing their job isn't nearly as good as they want us to believe.

I no longer could care less is someone washes a plane, wipes struts, gets paid half what he can elsewhere...whatever.

Are they happy doing it?

 

[fob727]

He's on a rant...go to USA jet 4 sale in cargo. What a piece!

 

[avbug]

Its the internet...nobody washes a plane, nobody carries bags to the car, nobody works for under 250k/yr.

and if one really has to post here screaming about how horrfic the thought of doing so is...Im guessing their job isn't nearly as good as they want us to believe.

Good point.

 

[moonlight]

I've done it dozens of times...King Airs have a real knack for giving plenty of opportunities for wipe downs.

Best way to do an external pre-flight I can think of. I've caught several things, from inspection panels coming loose to dings in the engine access doors from lazy mechanics.

Wax on, wax off; Daniel-son.

 

[NCherches]

Best way to do an external pre-flight I can think of. I've caught several things...

I agree.. When I am really bored (ie: the hotel kicks me out at noon and the departure is at 7pm) I like to give the airplane a bath if the weather is nice and I am in the mood... For me it's all about doing it because I want to. Not sure how i'd feel if my boss were to say "You need to wash the plane once a week"...

Wash Wax All does a sweet job for simple cleanings on the road.

 

[G100driver]

When the hotel kicks me out at noon and I have 7pm departure ... I extend my stay.

 

[Man-Ditch]

I started a Detailing company 10yrs ago to get flying gigs and to meet CP's who might hire me. I had 150hrs and a fresh ME/Inst ticket and was sitting Right seat in Turbo props and getting fair pay every time. The Flight instructors who had been trying to get those jobs were flaming pissed off! But the CP's said they admired my imagination and work ethic.
When they ask me to clean the plane after a flight, I did so and sent them an invoice for it.
6 hrs flying- $300
2 1/2 hrs Cleaning- $600

Didn't take long to figure out something was wrong.

Some years later, I had that company up to cleaning several 100 A/C a year and I was making over $130k but it was hard work. I was turning down flights at $400/day to do a detail job for $1100/day.

I was fast and good and people trusted my work and had no problem paying for it. Some pilots who did it themselves as part of their job I thought were crazy! and worked for someone who couldn't afford to properly operate the A/C. Guess what- those planes were mostly sold in the last year or two.

The down side is I don't/can't do this anymore. Insurance costs went through the roof! $15k/a year for a 2 million in coverage with an increase of 15-20% every year. Most big companies were up-ing their detailer requirements to $20-40 million. Not to mention the slowing economy. Solo Mechanics only have to pay around $8k/yr. And I am sorry but, there were also too many flight departments starting to hire illegals to do the work and some were even billing the companies my rates, and pocketing the difference.

Underwriters and illegals have ruined another business. Guess I'll have to go back to flying full-time.

 

[brvopilot]

I just spent the ENTIRE week washing and polishing the airplane. I am the only pilot at my company and fly a Premier1.

It took me 1 day to wash, 2 days to silver polish the leading edges, and 2 more to wax / polish and that was with the help of our mechanic.

To be honest, I never thought it outside my "job". The airplane was dirty...we washed it. What's the big deal?

 

[SansPlane]

To be honest, I never thought it outside my "job". The airplane was dirty...we washed it. What's the big deal?

Bravo brvopilot - You sound like “people” I grew up, work, socialize and drink with. Bravo to pilots who don’t have or don’t want to absorb other duties, but for my money, I want to work with the guy/gal that gets the job done. Of course, I don’t condone someone being taken advantage of either.

 

[Fly91]

I just spent the ENTIRE week washing and polishing the airplane. I am the only pilot at my company and fly a Premier1.

It took me 1 day to wash, 2 days to silver polish the leading edges, and 2 more to wax / polish and that was with the help of our mechanic.

To be honest, I never thought it outside my "job". The airplane was dirty...we washed it. What's the big deal?

It really is no big deal. I did it quite often at the first co-pilot jet job I was at. We had 6 jets (2 Lear 25's, 2 Lear 35's, 2 Lear 55's). Not a big deal, and I kind of liked making a plane look good, but not if I'm on call to take a pop-up trip. When they started asking me to come in on the same day I was "up" to fly, I started telling them its going to begin my duty day. WHY??? Because they would ask us to come in at 10am and wash 3 planes. It would take all day until about 4pm-5pm in the hot Florida sun, then they would expect you to take a typical 10-12 hour duty day charter flight. FORGET THAT CRAP!!!!

After I said I'm starting my duty day when I come in, they never asked me again. They started asking the pilots who were 2nd or 3rd to go, which is the fair thing to do.

But I washed planes all the time as a co-pilot when I didn't have to fly. There's not many things worse than flying when you're tired.