Airplane washing services

IN THE NEWS

He Feasts on Dirty Airplanes

Aero-News.net Exclusive When Lance Winslow was 14, he was washing airplanes. That's not unusual, except that he also had six employees and had franchised his business to another teen, as well. He was 16, and he was "...washing 135 airplanes, at $10 a week. I was making as much as my dad was, and he was in the Navy," he told us. On December 25, 1983, the Star Free Press quoted him as saying, "I figure I can retire when I'm 25. I have the feeling that once I retire, I can travel around - Princess Cruises, Tahiti, Hawaii...I just want to retire early, and manage my investments - and date a lot and party with my friends." He didn't retire. He's 35 now, and his www.aircraftwashguys.com is a big business, washing some big aircraft.

We talked with this high-energy guy in an exclusive ANN interview, and found out a lot, about the business and about things you should know, for your own airplane's good. It's nearly biblical, Lance tells us. "On the first day He made dirt, and on the fifth day He made bugs. The Wrights made the airplane; then we came along." That about sums it up, leaving out a few steps for clarity.

Customers rule!
Washing Airplanes Lance has a different approach to customer service -- he's entirely, completely driven by it. He finds business by looking for the needs. He told us, "We go to a place like Little Rock for maybe a week, and talk to the chief pilots, get to know what goes on at the airport; on the weekends, we talk with the GA guys, and learn the same thing." Then he looks to establish a franchise there.

He has a knack for finding a need and meeting it. Lance told us, "I started the first MLS on computer, for airplanes, in the early '80s. We got $10 for each airplane listed. I worked at Radio Shack part time; we sold the terminals for $199, plus $50 a month, plus $10 per listing." Since the terminals cost him $199, he was ahead from day 1 on each installation.

Interestingly, a lot of FBOs have recently started referrals, and they're happy to have someone to refer the business to. Winslow said, "A lot of FBOs won't wash airplanes any more, due to insurance problems; but the FBOs like to refer us. We're getting so many calls now -- in the last year and a half. All our franchisees are insured for at least a million dollars. Some carry five million, like at SFO. We do background checks on employees, for many major airports, and for most places with gate access. All our trucks are inspected regularly. We do not ever back up at an airport. Well, once in a while, it's unavoidable, but we always require a spotter. We never drive under wings -- I don't care how high they are." He franchises, but he keeps a watchful eye on who uses the "Aircraft Wash Guys" name. Day labor isn't trained and therefore can't be used; he needs to screen and train all the franchisees; and they must put their employees through a number of steps before they go out and make a $5 million airplane all wet. He's careful, and that makes him popular, with both FBOs and his many independent contracts.

Everybody needs his airplane cleaned; and it helps that Winslow knows how, and teaches his franchisees. His customer list includes a lot of household names: "Most people find us on the Internet." He knows that airplane owners and pilots are disproportionate users of the new technology. "We wash all Ted Turner's jets in Bozeman (MT). We wash for all kinds of famous and important people. We wash all kinds of weird stuff." Like what? "Well, the firefighting C-130s. That phosphate just does not come off -- they have all that 1-1-1 in their procedures. They're hard to clean." They follow all the FAA's rules, all the mil specs that are applicable. The EPA has its set of regs, too; and his business has adapted to them, too; another reason the FBOs like him -- no trouble with regulators. You can find the Aircraft Wash Guys servicies avialable at major airports from Idaho to Oklahoma, and in Ohio, California, Washington, Tennessee, Arkansas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Florida, with more signing up all the time. A thorough exterior/interior cleaning for, say, a C-152 starts at $30. A 172 costs $7 more. A BBJ is more expensive still.

Dumb things airplane owners do...

Airplane owners do some dumb things to their airplanes, and always with the best of intentions. We asked Lance for some examples of the bad practices, and why they were not too swift. Lance says that, first of all, most builder/pilots don't use his service, and don't need it. "They know their airplanes inside and out, and they don't want anybody doing anything to them." They know where the seals might not be perfect, and so on. Besides, they're perfectionists; and part of the joy of having built the airplane comes back in the ritual fondling of the fruit of their creative effort. "Once in a while, they'll ask us to rinse them off; then they pull out their special chamois to wipe it down," he joked.

But everybody else needs some help. What, specifically, is a bad idea? "Amateurs will put carnauba on the leading edge. They think that will keep the bugs from sticking, but that just doesn't work. The liquid waxes are the best." You can even cause structural damage to the aircraft, and make it old before its time. "Hard-shell paste wax -- it won't leave the heads of the rivets. It works its way under the rivet head a little bit; then the paint comes off. Then the rivet is loose, and the airframe has the equivalent of years of extra use. They use floor wax, Armor All on the deicing boots -- all it does is, it deteriorates the rubber."

Even the purely cosmetic can get you into trouble. "People wax the backs of their propellers, especially the EAA guys," he said. "They shouldn't use a silicone, or carnauba, or hard wax." What's the problem with that? "If it shines the surface up, it reflects back in their face. Use a polymer wax, but not a shiny wax.

What about those icky landing struts? "Oleo struts -- you get people who clean them and take all the grease off -- you just want to wipe the little 'rings' off, so they don't damage the seals. When they take all the grease off, they're screwing themselves."
Lance passed along something we can do, that he can't, to make our jobs easier. "One of the easiest ways to clean the belly of the airplane is to use a little kerosene." Since he can't recommend that practice, and forbids it, he does have an approved fall-back: "Gem-tek.com makes great stuff -- it's all FAA approved. It brightens aluminum -- it won't turn it white; it actually shines it up. It works great on the brightwork, too."

Windscreens are expensive, and plastic. Most of us don't know how to properly clean one. "Use all vertical strokes; never go in a circular motion -- that way, even if there is a tiny scratch, it won't blind you." A tiny scratch is what we strive for, assuming we can't do a perfect job. When a bug gets really stuck on your windscreen, "Don't scratch it off. Liquefy the bug, and wash it off." For general-purpose cleaning, "...a 1500 lb spray is good, except not on the seals."

To clean in the interior, Lance warns that carpets on aircraft are light, not like the thick carpets we have at home; and the aircraft is usually pretty well sealed, so moisture, once introduced, doesn't have a good chance to leave fast -- a recipe for trouble. "If you go to rent a carpet cleaner, you almost want one that's broken. Use very little water, low pressure, so you don't get really wet inside. It's just a really thin carpet, and it's usually sitting on a metal sheet."

finally, he has some cautions for just commonsense tips treatment of the plastic parts. "People don't always realize that these parts are plastic -- keep your hands off." Any other tips? "Don't break off the ADF antennas with your head." Oh, and "...let people know that wherever you land, we'll wait for you."

FMI: www.aircraftwashguys.com