Flight Deck
What we know, written down.
How aircraft finishes, interiors and de-ice boots actually behave, what the chemistry is doing, and what any of it means for an operator. Written by the people doing the work, and useful even when it costs us the job.
The first de-ice event of the season, and what a whole winter of residue does
Thickened fluid dries in the quiet corners of an airframe, rehydrates into a gel many times its original volume and can freeze in flight.…
Industry · September 30, 2026December closings, and why the preparation window is shorter than it looks
The pre-buy alone can run four to six weeks before anyone fixes anything. Appearance work done inside that window stops being preparation and becomes…
Interior and Cabin · September 22, 2026What happens to an aircraft that sits
The documented hazards of low utilisation start within days, not months. Two regulators found pitot blockages on aircraft parked under a week, and the…
Exterior and Finish · September 15, 2026What deferring exterior care actually costs
The cost is not the wash you skipped. Condensation evaporates each morning and leaves the salt behind, so a deferred interval is not one…
Industry · September 8, 2026Does detailing change what an aircraft appraises at
No, and no credible source publishes a figure that says otherwise. What preparation does change is what the pre-buy turns up, what the buyer…
Choosing a Provider · September 1, 2026Delivery preparation, and what the acceptance inspection is actually looking at
An acceptance walk is the one time an aircraft is examined by someone with every incentive to find something. What that person looks at,…
Industry · August 20, 2026The pre-owned market tightened this year, and condition is doing more work
Inventory is down to 6.6 percent of the fleet and average days on market is up. When there is less to choose from and…
Choosing a Provider · August 6, 2026Appearance in a pre-purchase inspection, and what an inspector reads into it
Nobody buys an aircraft because it is clean. But condition is the first evidence anyone has about how the rest of it was treated,…
Exterior and Finish · July 23, 2026New paint, and how long before anyone should touch it
Dry to fly and ready to wash are two different milestones and they are weeks apart. Getting that wrong on a fresh repaint is…
Standards and Compliance · July 9, 2026Cleaning frequency and corrosion control, according to the people who wrote it down
FAA AC 43-4B names washing as an element of corrosion control and sets no interval for it. What fills that gap is the Navy,…
Choosing a Provider · June 18, 2026What a quick turn actually is, and what does not fit in forty minutes
A quick turn is a defined scope, not a fast version of a full service. Knowing what fits is the difference between a crew…
Exterior and Finish · June 4, 2026Brightwork, restoring it versus maintaining it, and what the difference costs
Restoration removes metal. Maintenance removes almost nothing. Once you understand that, the economics of a polished aircraft stop being mysterious.
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