Aircraft Cleaning

[WorkingHard]

What do you experienced people use to clean the oil/muck/grime etc from the belly of an aircraft please. I fly from a grass airfield and the belly does get in an awful mess in the winter.
many thanks

[maxred]

Hot, soapy water, lots of elbow grease, then wipedown with avgas rag to remove the stubborn bits, rewash with soap/wax mix, polish, and await next year. Just done it:ooh:

[Steve N]

Swarfega hand wipes. Red box seems the best.

[BackPacker]

If it's muck from operating on grass then it's best to clean it (probably with just plain water, or water with a little soap) while the muck is still wet. If you're careful around pitot/static and other vent ports you can even do this with a garden hose. But I would not use a pressure cleaner.

If it's oil, soot or something else carbohydrant-based you won't get far with soapy water but you need something that will dissolve oil. The avgas rag works fine but might be a little expensive. There are specialist cleaners available that are (marginally) less expensive but work like a treat. My club just bought a bunch of bottles and it's amazing stuff. Spray it on, rub it in, wipe it down a minute or so later, done. No water required. Just be careful you don't rub sand into the paintwork (or worse, windows).

I can find out the name for you if you want to, but no doubt others will chime in as well.

[Maoraigh1]

Metal or composite or wood & fabric? If the latter, a wet sponge for the mud, sponge and soapy water for for the oil. Used very gently. Very unpleasant job in cold weather.

[Ryan5252]

A mild kitchen de-greaser works well on the belly of the aircraft. I find that the exhust fumes trailing down mixed with the muck makes a very oily sludge which needs to broken down. Needless to say don't get this spray in any lubricated parts! := A good hose down and a polish will bring it up shining. The more you polish it, the more it will be resist any further build ups.

Frequent wipe downs and buffering is the key!!

[A and C]

Never use kitchen products as a lot of them contain salt.

[Ryan5252]

As does landing in salt water but a hose down afterwards cures that.

[Trinity 09L]

A certain blue can that sprays oily aerosol, though expensive, clears all the grease and dirt, and protects the metal surface. No side effects noticed so far.:ok:

[WorkingHard]

Thanks to you all for the ideas so far. Is it not possible on PPRUNE to give product names? I am not very good at guesswork. I thought "advertising" was frowned on only if you had some connection with the product(s).
Thanks

[IanPZ]

I was just talking about this with a friend last week. Best things for cleaning metal or fibreglass are the same whether they are for a motorbike or plane (so he says, and it makes sense).

There are a range of strong non-salt detergents that you can find at almost any bike shop, which will do the job of getting the muck off. If you want specific names, private message me.

Once its off, coat the surface (again, assuming fibreglass or metal) with a very tin film of aerosol oil. On my bike, I use something that came from the aircraft industry, so should be fine for planes. I can then drive my bike all winter through on mucky salty roads, and a good wash in the spring cleans it all off no problem.

Again, I don't know the etiquette of mentioning names, so PM me if you want the actual product names, and where you can get them from. Should be able to find them in most motorbike factors, though.

Good luck. IPZ

[Pitts2112]

And keep the leading edges of everything well waxed. Makes getting the smashed bugs off much easier. Wet 'em down with a sponge, let 'em soak for 5 minutes, wipe off wif a rag. Easy peasy.

[Ryan5252]

And keep the leading edges of everything well waxed. Makes getting the smashed bugs off much easier.
Should also help in adding a couple to kts to your speed! :ok: