We traveled to Howell, MI to perfect the paint on this gorgeous Cirrus SR22 and protect it with a very long lasting ceramic coating.

Per usual, we started with a thorough wash and belly degrease to prepare the surface for paint correction. The owner had obtained some matching touch up paint so we could take care of a deep scratch on the nose wheel fairing.

Our field repair wasn’t 100% perfect, but enough to keep your eye from getting drawn to the defect

Although the aircraft was in pretty good shape, there were still a number of imperfections on the paint that were keeping this Cirrus from being as glossy as possible.  Notice on the right half how my headlamp reflects clean, but on the left it is diffracted and hazy.  Paint correction enhances the surface before we protect with the ceramic coating that ultimately gives it its ease of washing and long-term protection.

I didn’t get the usual number of before and after pictures, but the finished product was stunning.  The owner’s Cirrus SR22 GTS will enjoy incredible ramp presence without the need to wax  or otherwise replenish the ceramic coating for the next thousand hours.  After coating we do a brief training with the owner to show them how to wash the plane, it is really quite simply and actually super cheap, as our no-rinse solution consists mostly of water! This owner will never have to wax his airplane again.

Aviana Aircraft Detailing traveled out to Nashville, TN to work on our this Socata TBM-900. We find in many cases it is more convenient for our clients to have us work on their aircraft out of their home base, this was no exception. We set up shop at John C Tune airport and got to work.

Turbo Prop Staining

First order of business was to wash the TBM prior to paint correction. Exhaust staining and oil was removed with a tough citrus based cleaner. The rest of the plane was washed with a rinse-less wash. Some airports have strict rules as to washing airplanes and managing waste water run-off. By rinse-less washing we use less than a gallon of water, none of which ends up in the drain!

Although there was some staining aft of the exhaust stack on the pilot’s side, most of the exhaust staining seems to adhere to the right side fuselage and wing.

Turbine exhaust is actually somewhat corrosive to paint and causes the paint to oxidize and become more porous. This in turn makes the exhaust harder to wash off, requiring heavy scrubbing, which in turn further damages the paint.

You can see that even after wiping the soot off the front 2/3rds of the wing, there is a yellowish gray staining that remains. This is embedded staining in the paint and requires a more involved process to remove. (aft wing section not yet washed)

By exposing the camera specifically for the staining, you can observe the amount of residue left behind, even after a thorough wash. The right half of this picture shows the (permanent) staining removed by our paint correction process. See how much whiter the wing is in front of that rivet line?

Here from left to right you can see from little farther away the improvement in color on the white TBM wing. We typically see an overall whitening on all white painted surfaces. Often the white areas are not clear coated, thus susceptible to dirt and soot ingress. UV oxidation on top surfaces turns white paint slightly yellow (and more porous).

Paint brightening effect as seen on the top of the TBM fuselage. A combination of exhaust soot and UV oxidation slowly turned the brilliant white paint more dull and gray.

Paint restoration: maximize gloss

The next phase of paint correction is more subtle, but its impact is more pronounced in making this TBM stand out. Painted stripes on aircraft and other non-white colors are typically clear coated. They are still subject to oxidation, but the effects are less pronounced, producing more so a haze, rather than a chalky appearance. In addition, clear coated surfaces tend to be softer and more prone to show washing induced swirls and scratches.  As seen above, the right side of this picture under proper lighting shows signs of both oxidation (thanks to that corrosive exhaust stream) and washing swirls (also thanks to that exhaust stream). On the left hand side we have removed the damage leaving a much clearer reflection.

The effect is somewhat less pronounced on the gray stripes, but you can definitely see the cloudy haze on the right half.

Here is another before and after showing the gloss improvement on the intake. Less diffusion of reflections due to surface scratches.

The process has its limitations, you can see here how some deeper scratches still remain, but overall gloss has been significantly improved. We measure the paint thickness and make a data driven decision on how much correction we can safely perform.

Since we are unable to perform paint thickness measurements on the TBM’s composite wing roots, a more conservative approach is employed for more modest results. You can see in front of the oxygen fill door, there is an improvement in gloss and less haze.

Some more before and after shots.

Metal Polishing

We also did a light polish to remove oxidation and staining from the aluminum hardware.

Our metal polish leaves a polymer layer of protection to help slow down future oxidation.

Ceramic Paint Protection

We discussed earlier how friction from washing and corrosion from exhaust were the main detriments to this paint’s gloss. To help maintain the hard work that went into the paint restoration, we top the paint with a tough ceramic coating. Applied as a liquid, our coating bonds to the aircraft paint on a molecular level to create a slick and repellent new outer layer. This new ceramic top coat is significantly more resistant to chemical and UV oxidation.

The aircraft surface becomes very slick and hydrophobic which helps release bugs, and exhaust residue with minimal effort. Third party testing by a US based aircraft manufacturer has demonstrated UV resistance in excess of 1000 hours (the test stops at 1000 hours). The ceramic coating is not removed by  degreasers, fuel, solvents, or oil.

After the paint on the entire aircraft was restored, we wiped down the TBM with an alcohol solution to remove any lingering polishing oils and ensure a clean paint surface to start our ceramic coating process. The ceramic coating is wiped on the TBM in sections and leveled off with microfiber towels.

Although most of the gloss improvement on this TBM-900 came through the paint restoration process, the coating certainly help raise the gloss a few points. If you want to see the entire process, we do have a video of a different airplane that shows it step by step

By reducing the frequency and intensity of washing, this gloss will persist well past when a traditional wax or sealant would wear off. The very next day, the coating had cured and the airplane was ready to be back in service. We took a short flight to get some finished pictures.

Here is a quick video showing around the plane

We see a lot of Piper PA-46 airframes. We especially like taking care of the turboprops because we can restore the oxidation caused by the corrosive exhaust plume, then give it durable ceramic protection to make cleanup a breeze, while protecting the paint.

We can see how the paint has become dull and stained over time. As the paint oxidizes the texture becomes more porous, thus trapping more exhaust, making it harder and harder to clean over time as the paint continues to deteriorate. Even when shining a bright LED light at the paint, the reflection is minimal due to oxidation.

Our paint restoration process removes the damaged and stained paint, revealing a fresh layer of glossy paint underneath. Just look at the before and after and how much more reflective the paint has become!

Here is a brief video that shows the process in action. This is before any coating still – just paint restoration at this point.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Look at the difference in color. The white tops of the wings and horizontal stabilizer are actually white by the time we are done with them. The ceramic coating then seals the paint keep dirt and soot from embedding itself in the paint.

After coating: check out that coated slickness.

Ceramic Coating Results

2007 Cirrus SR22 Turbo (Gen3)

We started on this Silver Gen 3 Cirrus SR22 Turbo. It was relatively clean to begin with, so after a quick wash and belly degrease we started the paint correction to maximize gloss.

Although the aircraft looked pretty good to begin with, we knew this 10 year old airplane had some more gloss potential. Silver is a difficult color to photograph for before and afters. If you look very closely in the reflection, you see a diagonal line running with the lower right having a clearer reflection.

Here is an arrow pointing to the before and after line, just to make things easier.

The oxidation removal is more obvious on the GPS Receiver.

Once the entire aircraft was polished to maximize gloss, we removed any polishing oils that could be concealing paint defects and performed one more inspection prior to coating.

2014 Tecnam Astore LSA

Once we were satisfied with getting this 10 year old Cirrus as glossy as possible, we focused our attention on this gorgeous little LSA Tecnam Astore.

Unlike the Cirrus’s smooth composite skin, the Tecnam had many rivets that had paint missing. This is pretty common on aircraft so we were ready to touch them up with a dab of paint before hand.

The gorgeous red on this aircraft had a lot of scratches that were keeping the paint from being as glossy as possible (left half). On the right side you can see the scratches being removed. The slight haze that remains is removed in a subsequent jeweling step to get the paint as reflective and glossy as possible.

Like the Cirrus, The Tecnam too got a ceramic coating. Not only does this further amplify the gloss, it helps maintain the shine.

By keeping the plane cleaner, longer, and making washing easier, we minimize the amount of time the owner has to wash the plane, reducing opportunities for wash-induced marring and dulling.

Here is a fly-around both of these planes. Amazing gloss.

This work was completed on site, during a long weekend, with results rivaling a new paint job, for a fraction of the cost and downtime.

This photo demonstrates the amazing turnaround our process can achieve. The right half of the wing here was repainted at some point in recent history. The chalky left half is original paint. The section of high gloss in the middle is original paint – after we restored it. It is in-fact glossier than the repainted area. We also took care of the repainted area to make sure its gloss matched that of the original paint. 

There was also considerable oxidation and staining on top of the elevator. We carefully worked around the raised rivets to restore shine to this area too.

A few more before and afters from the vertical stabilizer.

Leaded aircraft fuel leaves some very hard to remove deposits that turn the paint cloudy and dull. The left hand side is after a thorough cleaning. The right hand side reveals the glossy paint that was hiding underneath it all.

Here we left a little square unpolished to show once again the amazing contrast before and after.

Finished gloss shots. Again, check out the video and let us know if you have any questions or are ready to book your aircraft. 

Part I: October 2016

Over a year and a half after first doing a test area on this aircraft, Aviana returned in October of 2016 to start the restoration on this T-33 fighter jet positioned outside of the Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The plan was to finish it all in one week, but several obstacles prevented this goal.

The first task, which was scheduled to take half of the first day, was to remove the steel plug in the exhaust, other patches, and access panels to allow for a more thorough cleaning by the Squeegee Squad. After drilling a hole and sticking a camera in, it became evident that the thick steel was holding back a large volume of animal excrement and carcasses. Oh joy!

Although most patches came off with ease, leaving just a tenuous mess of tape residue, the exhaust cover proved to be particularly challenging in removal, taking up a large portion of the first day.

After an early start on day 2 sanding the tail section, the boom lift we were using suffered a catastrophic hydraulic pump failure, rending it completely useless, and immobile! Fortunately, Squeegee Squad came prepared with an assortment of pressure washer extensions being able to reach deep inside the plane and wash out much of the animal refuse.

Much of the day was spent working to get a replacement lift lined up. United Rental’s service in this area was exceptional, but that didn’t change the fact there was simply nothing available at the time.

Sanding continued using an elaborate set of elevation adjusters. Take note of the defective lift in the background.

A glorious new lift was delivered by the guys at United Rentals! They upgraded us to one with a longer reach so that we could reach over the old one, which still immobile, was waiting for new parts to be shipped in and then would have to undergo field surgery.

Jerod and Kevin Lynch, of Midwest Duck Blinds,  also joined on day 3 and set their aluminum working experience to create patches for many of the missing or damaged areas on the jet. They hand traced, cut, and installed whatever they could reach!

Not only will this help with keeping animals out, once the aircraft is consistent in its finish, it will also conceal the damage incurred over the years.

Some actual polishing also occurred on this day! Note the old lift still in the way.

Much of the rest of the time was spent sanding and polishing. The process is very messy so not a lot of pictures were taken.

Tape residue had to be removed prior to any sanding. This took far longer than expected.

After removing the residue, aircraft markings were observed and documented for preservation.

Of note on the nose, the registration number “DTR-916″ was primed prior to painting. As such, it was extremely durable and not removed by sanding. The “US AIR FORCE” marking on the other hand, was easily removed. We recommend these letters be reinstalled using durable vinyl lettering.

Progress was slow at this point. Daylight hours were short and sadly the flu struck at the same time, essentially stopping all meaningful work. This was the state of the aircraft when we were forced to retire till the opportunity presented itself to resume work.

So status: Some sanding remains on the aircraft and the left side still needs to be polished. For a uniform finish to accommodate for aging, we will probably quickly polish the right side again too.

Black areas on top of the nose and canopy need to be repainted. We recommend Air Force insignia and marking to be reproduced in vinyl lettering and graphics for the highest degree of quality.

Here is a surround video of the aircraft, taken in February of 2017

Part II August 2017

The schedule was cleared, redundancies put in place, and with a steely resolve to finish it this time, work began once again on the Cedar Rapids T-33.

Picking up where we left off, we started sanding the left side of the aircraft.

Applying what we learned were best practices from the last time around, we were able to sand much faster and complete most major sanding on the first day. To remove the sanding marks, we used a more aggressive cutting step. Although this produced a shiny surface, it also leaves behind holograms which will be refined with a more gentle finishing step.

Finishing polishing took a few days and was quite messy. After polishing was completed, it was time to start repainting. Essentially, this turned the T-33 in a giant model airplane!

The canopy and wingtip tanks were painted in a glossy black (with silver accents on canopy).

The designation of this T-33: DTR-916 was taped off and repainted as well.

The USAF insignia and Stars & Bars emblems were reproduced in vinyl and applied.

The vinyl insignia were the finishing touch on this Cedar Rapids landmark. It is with great pleasure that we concluded this restoration after countless hours of work.

The owner of this Cirrus SR22 had several large expenses planned for his new to him Cirrus. ADS-B, Engine Overhaul and Repaint. The Cirrus was showing its age, the paint was yellowing and dull. Fortunately, we got a hold of him before the paint shop did. For a fraction of the time and cost of repainting, we were able to restore gloss and protect the paint with a tough ceramic coating.

Check out the highlights video and read on about how we made this owner love his plane even more!

Starting off with a thorough belly degreasing.

You can see the vertical before and after line. The left side is noticeably clearer.

Another clear difference, the lower segment is free of all of the oxidation and engrained dirt that makes the white more of a yellow. Being a composite aircraft, we made sure to keep panel temperatures below 100F to ensure the integrity of the carbon fiber fuselage was not compromised.

Here is a before and after of the same area – same exposure and same white balance on both photos.

Even though the paint correction accounts for the bulk of the gloss increase, we can still observe a measurable increase in gloss after coating a small test area inside of the taped area. A higher gloss reading means that more light is reflected off the surface.

Our coating is a two step process. The applicator on the left applies the first layer, the applicator on the right applies a gloss and hydrophobic enhancement layer. The left applicator is clearly loaded up with paint debris from the old single stage paint. Worth nothing that the second layer does not acquire any such debris because the paint is now sealed with a ceramic layer.

Micron scale surface scratches on the right half cause a hologram effect on the paint. the light radiating off of the light source reflection is present on the right half, but gone on the left half after paint correction. The increase in paint clarity is also clearly present.

Some finished shots:

This gorgeous Piper Meridian was booked for an exterior paint correction and coating as well as an interior leather cleaning and coating.

Leather gradually becomes stained from the oils in our skin and the dyes in our clothing. as this occurs over time, it is hard to notice the grime build up until you deep clean and restore the leather to its factory color!

The seats were treated with Optimum Leather Guard: A tough stain resisting coating that prevents any sort of stain from permanently embedding. On treated leather, grime wipes off easily with a damp towel.

On to the exterior, the turbine emissions had stained the wings and fuselage and oxidized the paint, leaving a chalky and dull finish.

After removing the oily residue we went to town restoring the paint.

Notice the staining removed from the lower third of this flap.

Much like the leather, you truly see the extend of the oxidation only after you tape off an area and compare it to new! Most of this plane had the chalky appearance you see on the bottom right half. By removing the oxidized paint layer we level the paint to make stains less likely to embed. Leveling the paint also restores gloss.

Careful polishing with custom polishing pads ensures that even the space between the vortex generators achieved a deep gloss.

Ab workout!

Just look at the difference in lens clarity on these LED landing light lenses. This should help greatly with light output.

The vibrant blue and red aircraft paint scheme had succumbed to holograms and various washing marks, leaving it dull and lackluster. Polishing removed those scratches and glossified the paint bringing out the metallic flake sparkle.

Close up:

Following paint correction the entire plane was wiped down with a special paint prep solution to remove any polish and paint residue in preparation of coating. The airplane was coated with a 2 step ceramic coating which seals the porous paint against staining and protects it against oxidation. Once coated, the aircraft will stay cleaner, longer; but also is much easier to clean without having to resort to harsh degreasers.

Fun fact: The weather outside of this hanger when this picture was taken was about -10F!!

After seeing the previous Malibu we corrected and coated, the owner of this Malibu Meridian Turbo Prop, was interested in getting his aircraft corrected and coated in Opti Coat Pro Plus as well.

The paint appeared to be mostly original on this 2001 PA-46 and despite the excellent care it had received, over time, thousands of micro abrasions had left the paint dull. A light correction step boosted gloss, which was most noticeable on the dark metallic gray areas.

The underside of the elevator had some very persistent staining from the turbo prop emissions. Taking care not to strip the paint off the elevated rivets we carefully removed most of it.

Another 50/50 area, showing the huge difference removing the most minute amount of oxidized paint makes.

We never promise 100% perfection, to do so would require a greater amount of paint to be removed, subjecting the aluminum skin to unnecessary heat and pressure. When done properly, paint correction is perfectly safe. This safety margin means that sometimes, deeper scratches are left behind. As is visible on the belly.

However, the increase in gloss, far outweighs the small amount of deeper scratches left behind.

Lot of belly pictures – the dark metallic gray responded quite well to the correction.

One panel at a time.

Since the gloss is not immediately noticeable on white, we can use the gloss meter to help paint the picture:

Following paint, the spinner got a little attention as well:

After we were done making a mess with polishing, the whole plane got carefully wiped down with a special panel prep, ensuring all polishing oils were removed.

We started with a thick coat of Opti Coat Pro, here you can see the coating as it is flashing, binding to the paint and starting to cross link with itself. Any highspots are gently wiped down with a microfiber towel.

Between 30 and 60 minutes after Opti Coat Pro, Opti Coat Pro Plus is applied to further enhance the coating’s repellency, gloss, and slickness.

The ceramic exhaust stacks were also coated as an experiment. We are curious to see how Opti Coat holds up to the extreme temperatures these tips are exposed to.

After 30+ hours of paint correction, and nearly 6 hours of coating, this Meridian is done!

What sets Aviana apart from other aircraft detailing companies? Paint Correction. Generally, when you pay for aircraft polishing, you get something very different than what we quote. Polishing is a loosely thrown around term, so lets start by defining it. To some, polishing is the mere act of applying wax, to others, it is the machine application of some sort of product.

Look at some of these before/afters, showing the difference a true paint correction makes.   

Removing a minute amount of old paint, exposing fresh and shiny paint. 

Big difference after removing exhaust residue. This type of accumulation is exactly what we hope to avoid with Opti Coat Pro.

Restoring the finish on these taxi light covers not only helps appearance, but improves light output as well.

A sweaty arm left an oxidation print on the aluminum spinner.   

A gently metal polishing took care of the oxidation on the aluminum, while providing a durable sealant.

Speaking of sealants, here is the main course: Opti Coat Pro Plus. This is the first aircraft to get the new Opti Coat Pro Plus treatment, from Optimum Polymer Technologies.

Opti Coat Pro is a durable ceramic (C-Si) coating, applied as a liquid and cures into a tough as nails coating. Opti Coat Pro Plus, with proper care, will not only hold up to harsh chemicals such as degreasers and fuel, but does not need to be reapplied on an annual bases, like many so called “coatings” available on the market. Opti Coat Pro Plus, adds a second coating, which bonds to the Opti Coat Pro, and further enhances gloss and repellency. We look forward to see the difference oil and soot accumulating, and taped off a few test areas that did not receive the coating for testing purposes.

The results were stunning. After more than 30 hours of work, this aged Piper Malibu was outshining its brand new counterparts in the hangar! Right off the bat, this plane went on to fly 10 hours to and from Idaho, giving the coating its first test. Stay tuned for a 1 month follow up wash.