Do carriers wash aircraft?
 

Something I have ALWAYS wondered about...... Do carriers run their aircraft through the ol' drive-thru every now and again? Or do they rely on the "natural elements" to keep the aircraft exterior clean?

At altitude one would assume grit and dirt would become frozen and in conjunction with the high velocity airstream passing over the aircraft body would be "blown" off. But I wonder if that means an entire clean or do the aircraft still need a Wash'n'Wax every now and again.

Yes They Do.
 

Some years ago when I did the Airside Tarmac Tour Qantas were washing a 747 with booms and gantreys and quite a few manual laborours.

barry robson (alias Gerald Hatrick)

If you do the fantastic Airside tarmac Tour at Sydney, they do take you for a spin arount to the biggest Carlovers you will ever see.

I know with the hecrs, they do a drive through aircraft wash following a few dirt strip landings. They also do a scheduled servicing every so many hours which requires hoses, detergent, sponges and a dozen or so airmen to get scrubbing.

There was an episode of the Amazing Race where the teams had to wash an a/c at Guam

Yeah but they woosed out...they only had to wash one engine pod on a B52:rolleyes:

Shameless plug.

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviatio.../2/0651262.jpg

Seen on the very same Tarmac Tour Barry mentioned above. Although this is BA here.

Iberia and Air France? No. :)

Awesome stuff,

Thanks for all the responses!

I'd hate to be the guy who has to wax a 747 by hand.....

You mean this guy?

http://www.worth1000.com/entries/123...3386ejMI_w.jpg

Adrian.

No pic showed up?

This is what he posted in the meantime

http://www.worth1000.com/entries/123...3386ejMI_w.jpg

is there any jobs in melbourne?
i wouldn't mind a job washing planes for some extra $$$ lol :D

For a second there I thought Qantas had yet another mishap. The tail looked like it had crashed into the top of the hangar.

Branding
 

I think the presentation standards, re livery of a particular aircraft is of a lesser priority than the other pillars that support The Brand. Spotters and airliers.net enthusiasts absorb SO much in terms of the image and professionalism of the business through the images they see online. To the regular and high frequency airline traveler the 10-30 minutes of viewing the exterior of an aircraft before boarding has little effect on the "end to end experience" they receive. Inflight Product, Service, and Recognition have probably a higher impact on the customer. In times like these (economic et al) we have to focus on areas which will be most beneficial to a business don’t you agree?

Eli,

Imagine if the A380 delivery on September 21 featured an aircraft doused in grit and soot and which featured tired and dull looking paint.

Regardless of in-flight service and all the rest presentation to the public also carries weight.

It would be the same as hiring a limousine which turned up dirty with faded paint. Regardless of how nice the champagne was or the leather seats were it was still a dirty limousine.

As the saying goes... "Image is everything".

Well said. Very true. Trust me, people notice these things. A clean image is noticed by the public. But then once inside side they do notice the service as well,it is the whole package, but it starts from the outside. I think i am starting to sound like my girlfriend:eek:

Speaking of which, VH-VXD seen here at Gate 1 in Melbourne right now could do with a sponge bath?

How about the Interiors of aircraft?
Besides a quick vacuum every now & then do they do anything else?

Aircraft washing isn't only about nice looking aircraft. It also forms part of a corrosion preventative strategy and facilitates inspection of the airframe (ie. dirt and grime isn't hiding something nasty). I can't think of any ADF aircraft that don't have a regular scrub and wash. For our F/A-18s based in Williamtown, it is absolutely essential that they receive regular washes, given that they are based in one of the most salt-laden environments in Australia.