VLOG 020 - How to wash a Piper Meridian, (or any other turbo prop aircraft.) + Paint Correction

[@smithautodetailing]

This is hands down the best aviation channel on here! But as someone wanting to get into cleaning and possibly coating planes is, do you clean the wheels/landing gear? I feel like that area gets super dirty/greasy, but do you necessarily need to clean that part every time? If at all...

[@cesarleon8560]

Hay un efecto que produce la hélice llamado tirabuzón, el flujo del aire se desplaza en forma de espiral a lo largo del fuselaje, por eso los gases de escape golpean solo un lado del estabilizador horizontal, saludos desde Chile! 😃

[@garywheeler2055]

Amazing to watch the process 👍

[@MrJimmer1805]

BEST in the business 👍👍

[@hfc1969]

Great video. I have learned tons watching your videos. Spent the weekend buffing all of the dirt and oxidation off my airplane. Our hangar flooded this summer and I was forced to park on a neighboring airport ramp for 2 months.. Devastated the paint. Used NO Rinse, and citrus cleaner to wash.. then I used a Maguiers for for the buff and clean.. I am in the process of ordering paint for the touch-up process. What do you usee for spinners? BTW- I am still sore!

[@AvianaAircraft]

Well done! Keep doing this every week and you won't get sore anymore ;) For aluminum spinners I generally start with Nuvite C-grade, then finish with S-grade

[@fifthcircle1]

With your background, I'd really like to hear why you settled on the Gtech. There are a ton of ceramic products, and some are touted as aviation specific (flightshield), others seem really good and much less expensive (Cquartz). Love the videos, and your work looks amazing. Well done!! 👌

[@AvianaAircraft]

Great question. Let me first start by stating that categorically all proper ceramic coatings are a marked improvement over legacy paint protection such as wax. I believe that all coatings are generally good and viable. That said, there are products marketing themselves as ceramic coatings, such as hydrosilex, that in fact are really just a ceramic containing sealant. Great product in the sense that it offers better protection than waxing, and is super easy to install, but not a coating per my definition (If you can wipe it off with spirits or degreaser, it is not a coating!) In addition to evaluating a coating by its durability, we look at passive repellency and ease of installation. Coatings such as ceramic pro need multiple layers. You watch the videos: Do you think I feel like coating a plane 4 times over? Does a 4 layered coating perform 4x better than a 1 layer coating, sadly no. Products such as flightshield need an annual top up application as well, which given my schedule, is also not something I am interested in. Our last coating eval test took 7 different coating combos on a 900hr turbo prop flight regimen. I trust Serum Ultra not to fail on aviation applications based these validations. Our service life estimates are also deduced from these tests. Every few months we are asked to try a new coating, it simply is not possible for me to set up such real world testing for every product that comes out, so that is part of why I use Gtechniq. The company is great to work with as well, and they are willing to ship supplies direct to my job sites (Opti Coat for example will shit a brick if you ask them to drop-ship)

[@3dbuster]

Great videos - nice to watch!

[@AvianaAircraft]

thanks for watching!

[@JayDubber]

Nice job as usual!

[@AvianaAircraft]

Thanks for watching, as usual :)

[@skipstraut9719]

I really enjoy your work. This is the second video of your’s I watched. Are you a pilot?

[@AvianaAircraft]

Thanks for watching!

[@barrycook8116]

What is the median cost for correction and Gtechniq CSU? I assume it has to be a lot of money because you travel holy cow you work hard.

[@Tom-ju9ns]

What is the name and brand of the citrus product you use? Have you used any of the RealClean products??

[@AvianaAircraft]

Gtechniq W5 Citrus cleaner. I do not use RealClean products.

[@fontking1a]

I don't understand why NO RINSE isn't scratching the paint. You are getting the GRAINY DIRT wet and then rubbing the particles on and into the paint. If there is no water access then you have to do what you have to do but there must be a better way which won't scratch the paint. Or...not?? I use a foam cannon when my car is really dirty. The foam gets 90% of the dirt off without any rubbing at all. You do buff the paint so maybe that's the answer???

[@AvianaAircraft]

Foam helps suspend dirt after you agitate it. If you spray a surface with just foam and then pressure wash without agitation, you still have residue left behind that can potentially scratch during drying. No-Rinse encapsulates dirt during the agitation step, while adding lubricity. By drying off a no-rinse surface you maintain lubrication. If you rinse off the foam with water, you now are drying off water which has no lubricity. A lot of it comes down to technique and being mindful of the paint. Also, aircraft paint is a lot harder than car paint so that helps.

[@nldmaster]

How many vortex generators?

[@AvianaAircraft]

Sooo many. I’ll count them next time for you

[@barrycook8116]

Haha

[@JonathanGurgul]

I think the reason it’s on one side more than the other is spiraling slipstream.

[@AvianaAircraft]

correct!