Dry Washing an Airplane

[docket]

I have been flying for a long time and my regular practice has been a hose, a bucket and a chamois.  I am thinking about relocating after all of these years to a new FBO which does not allow tenants (or any vendors) to use a hose to wet wash an airplane or to change their own oil.  I might be willing to give up changing my oil but I am pretty serious about keeping the bird clean.  I know nothing about drywashing or how the windows and paint like that process.  I would be curious to get your input from those of you who have dry washed. 

[Cruiser]

Jim,

How long have you been using GLARE? I just finished my first application with GLARE PRO and I was amazed at the difference in feel between the GLARE finish and the previous surface. When I wiped my hand across the surface the GLARE fininsh was noticeably smoother to the touch. My shine did not improve but it was pretty good to begin with. My first flight brought me a compliment from an older guy in the FBO admiring the plane. :>)

[eaglebkh]

I use a dedicated Round-up sprayer and a spray bottle with Fleet Wash on my plane.  With the sprayer, I have much more control over the amount and direction of water flow.  A typical wash uses a 2-gal sprayer with one intermediate fill-up of water.  Less water getting sprayed on the plane means less oppurtunities for corrosion.

[FlyDave]

Does anyone have experience with a product call Dry Wash'n Guard? I've hear about it in the glider community and some people swear by it on composit sailplanes.

[KSMooniac]

I use an intermediate solution in my hangar since the EPA made our airport turn off the water long ago.  I have a 6 gallon water jug that I keep in the hangar, along with a bucket, sponge, chamois, etc.  I use a product called "Protect All" that was originally developed for RVs.  One gallon of water plus some of that solution is enough for me to clean my plane with a sponge....simply wet the sponge, wipe & rinse the sponge as necessary until clean, and follow up with the chamois.  No rinsing required on the plane.  I also use a Protect All spray-on polish/wax product from an aerosol can that works great and makes the cleaning much easier.  I probably "wash" it 6-10 times between applications of the wax.

[randypugh]

You guys are making me nervous. I fly my mooney in the weather (rain) a lot, mabe hours at a time. Sits on a ramp for a day or two in the rain ocasionaly. Is this thing going to rust away on me? I do keep it in a hanger on a normal basis but I do use it a lot between Michigan and Florida. I wash it with a hose and bucket a lot to keep it clean. I've done this with every airplane I've had with no problems, are these Mooneys different? 

[KSMooniac]

No, Mooneys are not really that different.  The biggest "risk" in terms of corrosion is if your windows leak and allow water to get in and be absorbed into old insulation (which should have been replaced by now) and then hold the moisture next to the steel tubes.  You should check for water leaks at annual with the side plastics off to make sure nothing like this develops into a problem.

While washing you should probably avoid spraying high pressure water into the fresh air inlets and the cabin exhaust vents (near the trailing edge of the wing roots) to minimize the chances of water getting into the cabin.  I would not worry about flying in rain or leaving parked outside while on a trip.

[Rustler]

I have found over the years that if I wax the airplane once a year with a high-grade paste wax (like Meguire's) and buff it thoroughly, I have no problem keeping stuff off it. It is a lot of work but worth it. When I return from a trip, I simply spray the leading edges of the wing and horizontal stabilizers and the area around the cowling using a small spray bottle of water; I leave it on the plane as I walk around, then wipe it and the bugs off when I get back to where I started. We have some pretty serious bugs here in Texas, and I never have any problem whatsoever.

Someone gave me some super polymer stuff once, guaranteed to rejuvinate the paint (and maybe the pilot), but it was disappointing. Looked good for a bit, but it didn't begin to last like the Meguire's.

I second JimR's suggestion about the cover. At least in the Southwest, it will save interiors and avionics.

 

[Mooney_Allegro]

I've never tried the dry method of washing, mainly because I'm not knowledgable about it.  We have water restrictions here in GA, and I normally fly to a nearby field to wash the plane w/soap and water and that works for me.  After reading through this post, I'll give the dry wash method a try since most of you have had good success with the process. 

[randypugh]

Thanks, you made me feel better. This airplane is just a toy for me. I have a condo in PFN but I live in Michigan (z98) I'm back and forth a lot and I do fly in all the weather in all seasons about 150hrs a year. I just purchased this airplane this past Oct. after flying cessna 310's for the last 20 yrs. I'm getting used to it with about 85hrs now. I wash it, wax it, hanger it, and I do have a canvas cabin cover that I use when in Fla. I hope it lasts me a long time.

[Lood]

Very interresting to get everyone's thoughts on this. I use a soft broom which I dip into a 2 gal bucket of soap water. It makes it easy reach everywhere on the airplane and it seems to be more effective in cleaning than a cloth. Most of the water stays in the bucket and you really only get the soap part, or rather foam on the airplane with very little if any water running off the airplane. After that I use the same broom with clean water to rinse and the dry it off with a cloth. Best part about the broom is the time it saves.

Does anyboby have a good product to use on windows? My windows have small scrathes - probably because of washing or cleaning them with the wrong types of cloth or maybe newspaper. It becomes a problem when I fly into the sun and more so when landing. Someone once told me that there are products available that works wonders on windows, in particular to remove those circular scrathes?

[N207LS]

The dry washing comments are all very interesting and I wonder how these products do in a salt air environment.  I have access to a wash station just 100' or so from my hangar and have used it several times.  For me, located on a salt water peninsula in Tampa Bay, I find myself rinsing off my plane regularly (every few weeks), just trying to keep the salt build up off the plane.  Now that is is going in for a paint job (Tejas Aero), I am really concerned about maintaining the "new" look of the plane.  Please provide feedback if anyone has used the "dry" wash in a salt waterfront setting.

Aaron