COCKPIT CLEANING

[FREIGHTMAN]

I am currently flying an EMB145 and notice that the cockpit gets very grubby, particularly the glass instrumentation. It collects dust and finger prints.

Are there specialist "Cockpit Cleaners" who can solve ths problem ? I would imagine that sending in the regular aircraft cleaners might be a bit dodgy.

I'm wondering if it is a specialist function that people need to be trained for. Can anyone out there shed any light on this. I'd be interested to know of any companies that offer this service or who train people for it.

Might have stumbled on a good business opportunity for the wife !!!

[anawanahuanana]

As far as I`m aware, it down to the engineers a lot of the time! Still, gives us somewhere warm to sit on those night shifts..... <img src="tongue.gif" border="0">

[whatbolt]

Freightman-try using a PC screen cleaner, a one inch brush and an antistatic cloth-I gave up cleaning FDs when Flight Crew started putting their feet up on the dash and leaving the FD with empty coffee cups and crumpled news papers lying around. Probably not a problem at home because their wives clear up after them ??

[Eff Oh]

Our B757 had a flight deck clean last night. The cleaners managed to spill some sort of fluid on the centre console. This red gloopy stuff managed too seek refuge in one of our radios, causing it to be changed! So yes they do clean them! (Not very well sometimes.) <img src="smile.gif" border="0">
Eff Oh.

[Manual Reversion]

As far as 'dust' goes, get the 'bug card'and run it down the screens. It get rid of all the grubby stuff on the instruments. Unfortunately my company has just got rid of 'bug cards'so I'm back to using a clip on tie as a duster!

[Blacksheep]

Whey back i' the deez when ar were wekkin' on Layne Maynt'unce ar wer cleaning tha fleet deck wan neet, efter the payelots had garn (as we dee, the likes o' us is beholden tae the likes o'ye, eh?) Whey, in amang arl the peepers on tha flare ar foon a payelots wollet. T'were sae hefty it tek me an me marrer Geordie Bales, a hef an 'oor tae lug it oot tae the care park! We had a reet champion coupla weeks in Monte Carlo on thet lot ar can tell yer!

Cleanin oot efter the payelots is arl reet by me, marrer. Any body missin' a wollet?

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Through bother tae tha pictures

[Hew Jampton]

I think a previous boss of mine had the best idea by making any touching of the dials and screens a hanging offence. Boeing actually issues screen cleaning packs consisting of a paper tissue impregnated with a cleaner and a dry tissue to wipe it off, made in Devon or Cornwall, UK - get your engineering stores to order a load.

I use these packs whenever I can get hold of them but I draw the line at one colleague's practice of carrying a miniature dustpan and brush in his nav bag!

[BayAreaLondoner]

If the screen is just dusty and maybe a little greasy from, err... fingers, perhaps a photographic lens cleaning cloth or glasses cleaning cloth might do the trick?

[Golden Rivet]

Stick an entry in the tech log! - go on be Brave

[whatbolt]

Very nearly unable to read cockpit gauges.
Noted with thanks-cockpit gauges very nearly cleaned

[Tnuoc Alucard]

FREIGHTMAN,
who do you fly for ??
For our paperwork in the front of our techlog has a copy of the daily / intermediate inspection in it.
You will find that it has an entry on there for what you task there for it is an engineers task to do instruments, but not clear out your coffee cups, that is down to your own lack of respect to your fellow pilots.

oh yes 'Eff Oh' , the cleaners were probably trying to get the stickey coffee away from the last spillage caused by Air crew.

[LRRP]

I always clean my own space thoroughly, ever since I dropped my wallet in the cocpit once and when I went back it had gone.
Luckily it only contained a half days pay so it was no great loss.
(I always suspected those two geordie cleaners who disappeared for two weeks imediately afterwards may have known something about it but there was no point asking them because you could never understand a word they said anyway).

[Blacksheep]

Whey a' coorse ya divn't knar what weeze tarkin' aboot LRRP. Ah see yer from Lunnun and we arl know the French cannot talk proper but thets nae excuse fer mistaykin folk frae Bishops Auckland fer Geordies. Thanks fer the trip to Monte though, we 'ad a champion tyme in Rosie's Bar and its been a pleasure cleanin' up yer mess for ya. Me an Gerordie Bales is off tae Blaydon noo, tae see the riaces. Keep yer fingers off the instruments mind, only us engineers'r allowed tae booger abowt wi'em.

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Through difficulties to the cinema

[OzExpat]

Aye! Fookem aal... :)

[QAVION]

Engineers' Toolkit List:

Screwdrivers
Set of Spanners.
"Dust Buster"...

As an engineer, I have the great honour of cleaning up after pilots... Apparently, airlines don't trust the regular cleaners with cockpit panels/screens.

It is especially rewarding for me after the cockpit has been invaded by a bunch of pilots who insist on speaking with their mouths full (of biscuits and crackers)... and even more so when we've been so busy, we haven't had time for lunch or smoko on a 12 hour shift... <img src="tongue.gif" border="0"> ). Mmmmm.... crumbs.

Personally though, I prefer the offerings under the seat cushions on passenger seats.... Peanuts, jelly beans and chewing gum (any American airline), "Otsumami"(JAL), olives (Olympic), barley sugar and Smarties (BA),.... and yes, even a nice selection of lose change for the budding numismatist (Sadly, all the pilots seem to use plastic money these days).

Q.

P.S. BTW, in case you were wondering... On my days off, I usually "rat" through the garbage bins at the back of my local McDonald's :)

[Blacksheep]

Seriously though, after wiping down the instruments, disinfecting the oxygen masks and mopping up the coffee on the centre console, its interesting what we find when we rummage about in the waste paper scattered on the flight deck floor. My own haul includes a nice Mont Blanc ball pen, a 500 Gramme gold bar wrapped in newspaper and a pilots wallet, the contents of which wouldn't have bought one round in Rosie's. One of the cleaners found a large brown envelope containing US$40,000. That turned out to be the cash supplied to the crew to buy fuel, should they make an emergency landing in India where the fuel carnet would be useless.

Now, how could you walk off the flight deck leaving behind half a kilo of gold or forty grand in cash and not notice? Seems that once the call "Park Brake" - "Set!" is made you all can't wait to get off the flight deck and into the bar. There must be something in this "crew fatigue" theory after all! Aren't you lucky to be cared for by such an honest bunch as us, eh? :)

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Through difficulties to the cinema

[Mango3]

For what its worth, I carry a small paint brush plus a vacumn cleaner and anti static cloth for wiping the screens. The vac is a small unit I purchased from an electronics shop and was designed for cleaning keyboards. I stick to Boeing's scan recommendation though, and only clean MY side of the panel!

[guinnessty]

Get a length of tubing,oxygen mask type stuff is ideal,then get the flight engineer to open the sextant mount, stick one end of the tube out and the other is now a powerful vacuum cleaner. Works a treat!!!

[Ignition Override]

Blacksheep: While reading your first remarks, at first glance, it looked like I was reading Dutch subtitles with "Mars Attacks" on KLM!

Smaklijke eten/drinken, vliegen, slapen and FOKKEN! But not in that order, mijnheer.