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.
Getting de-ice fluid off before it sits through a summer
Type IV residue does not all leave with the ice. What stays behind collects in the places you cannot see, and a season of…
Industry · February 19, 2026What business aviation delivered in 2025, read from the ramp
GAMA counted 854 business jet deliveries in 2025, up 11.8 percent. Every one of those aircraft arrives with a finish that has never been…
Interior and Cabin · February 5, 2026One product across a cabin is a decision, not an efficiency
Leather wants a cleaner at pH 4 to 6. Wool is damaged above 9.5. Acrylic crazes on alcohol under stress. Polycarbonate fails on alkalinity.…
Exterior and Finish · January 22, 2026Hangared versus outdoors, what changes and what does not
A hangar removes UV and rain and it does not remove salt, humidity or the corrosion that follows them. What actually changes when an…
Exterior and Finish · January 8, 2026How often should an aircraft be washed
The FAA sets no interval and the airframe manufacturers do not publish one. What does exist is military data, an international corrosivity standard, and…
Standards and Compliance · December 18, 2025No cleaning product is FAA approved. Here is what the labels actually mean
The FAA sits outside the chain entirely. EPA regulates the label, Boeing and Airbus qualify compatibility, SAE writes the tests, and the OEM manual…
Standards and Compliance · December 4, 2025Disinfection and disinsection are not the same thing
One kills microbes and nobody requires it. The other kills insects and a dozen countries require it by treaty. They are two letters apart…
Interior and Cabin · November 20, 2025Where cabin odor actually lives, and why fragrance does not fix it
Odor is a material problem with a location. It is in the carpet backing, the seat foam, the sidewall insulation or the galley drain,…
Exterior and Finish · November 6, 2025Why de-ice boots fail early, and what actually preserves them
Ozone attacks the rubber, a hangar does not stop it, and most premature failures come from something someone applied with good intentions. What the…
Exterior and Finish · October 23, 2025Dry wash or wet wash, and when each one is wrong
The honest answer is that soil load decides, not preference. A dry wash on a heavily soiled airframe is an abrasive process, and a…
Exterior and Finish · October 8, 2025Can washing damage aircraft paint
Yes, and almost always for the same reason. Every common way a wash damages a finish traces back to a crew compressing the one…
Seasonal and Regional · September 24, 2025What wildfire ash does to a finish, and what not to do about it
Ash is alkaline and abrasive, and the instinct to wipe it off dry is the single most expensive thing anyone does about it. What…
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