Complete Detail at Augsburg (EDMA)

What changes at Augsburg?

Augsburg sits at 1515 feet elevation with a single 1594-metre runway; traffic is almost entirely general and business aviation with no scheduled airline service, so ramp access and turnaround timing follow business-aviation rhythms rather than airline waves. The airport operates Monday to Saturday 07:00 to 21:00 local, Sunday and public holidays 09:00 to 21:00; movements outside those hours require a chargeable prior-permission request, which means any evening or early-morning detailing slot must be arranged with the airport in advance. Customs and border police are on site, so international jets can clear directly at Augsburg.

Hangar space exists—airport hangars of 75 by 25 metres and 75 by 20 metres accommodate aircraft up to 6.50 metres tall and 25 metres long, heated and unheated, and a business-aviation hangar was added in 2014—but free slots are only sporadically available, so indoor washing and detailing space cannot be assumed. Augsburg Air Service, part of the Atlas Air Service group, runs a business-jet maintenance base on the field with several hangars servicing Embraer, Citation, Beechcraft and Hawker types; aircraft in maintenance are a recurring presence, and coordination with the maintenance schedule often determines when a complete detail can begin.

Why does a complete detail take two to five days?

Paint decontamination removes bonded contamination—industrial fallout, tree sap, insect protein, exhaust residue—that a rinseless or dry wash leaves behind; the process is clay-bar work across every painted surface, followed by single-stage machine polish to restore gloss and fill minor marring. Brightwork on nacelle lips, leading edges and gear components is polished separately. Inside, every cabin surface is cleaned to OEM material specifications, galley and lavatory are disinfected, carpets and soft goods are extracted, and the flight deck receives a no-touch avionics clean. The photographic report captures the state of the aircraft before work begins and again after completion, creating a visual record for the tech log, the buyer or the pre-buy inspector.

Weather, hangar availability and the size of the aircraft all influence duration: a super-midsize jet with light contamination may be finished in two days if a hangar slot opens immediately, while an ultra-long-range aircraft arriving after a transatlantic crossing in winter, with exhaust staining on the belly and salt on the gear bays, will need four or five days. The work is scheduled as a continuous block rather than split across weeks, so the aircraft is returned to service in one movement.

What does the Bavarian climate do to the aircraft between details?

Augsburg's continental climate brings cold winters, warm summers and year-round humidity; freezing temperatures from November through March mean that aircraft parked overnight or cold-soaked after descent accumulate frost on wings and empennage, and any moisture trapped in panel gaps or around static ports can freeze. De-icing with Type I fluid is routine in winter, and residue from glycol-based fluids attracts dust and forms a sticky film on the belly and lower fuselage if not removed promptly. Spring and autumn bring rain, and standing water on the ramp carries particulate that dries as spotting on the fuselage and brightwork.

Inside, tracked-in moisture, de-icing salt from aprons and road grit from ground crew boots all accumulate in the cabin during the heating season; carpets in the entry area and galley show the evidence first. Summer heat raises cabin humidity when the aircraft sits on stand with the door open, and any organic material left in the galley or lavatory will begin to smell within hours. A complete detail twice a year—once before the summer season, once before winter—keeps paint, brightwork and cabin materials ahead of the cycle, and the photographic report provides a baseline for the next interval.

How does the photographic report work before a sale or pre-buy?

The report is shot in two passes: before any work begins, documenting the condition as delivered, and after completion, showing the result. Each pass covers the exterior in sections—port and starboard fuselage, upper surfaces, belly, nacelles, winglets, tail, gear bays, brightwork—and the interior by zone: flight deck, forward cabin, galley, lavatory, aft cabin, baggage compartment. Close-up frames capture areas of concern: paint chips on leading edges, corrosion on brightwork, staining on cabin sidewalls, wear on seat leather. The images are date-stamped, captioned by location, and delivered as a digital file with the tech-log entry.

For a pre-buy inspection, the report gives the surveyor a visual record of appearance condition independent of the logbook narrative; for a sale, it demonstrates to the buyer that the aircraft was professionally presented and documented. The before-and-after sequence also protects the seller by showing exactly what work was done and what condition existed underneath, which matters if a buyer later raises a claim about pre-existing damage. The file is yours; we keep no copies once it is handed over.

What does the handler expect from a third-party detailing crew at Augsburg?

The airport names an on-site interior specialist, Finest Care GmbH, for aircraft interior cleaning and upholstery, and handling agents present at the airport are accustomed to third-party service providers working on the ramp or in the hangars. Expectations are straightforward: current airside passes for every technician, liability insurance naming the airport, and a method statement if any chemical product will be used on the apron. If the detail will take place in a hangar, the handler needs advance notice to coordinate the slot with the airport and, if applicable, with Augsburg Air Service, which manages several hangars on the field.

Water use on the apron is subject to the airport's environmental rules; if a rinse is required after decontamination, it must be contained or conducted in a wash bay, and the handler will specify the location. Waste—used clay bars, polish residue, interior extraction water—is collected in sealed containers and disposed of according to the airport's waste-handling protocol. The handler will ask for an estimated finish time each day so that ground power, towing and any security escort can be scheduled; if the work runs past the airport's published hours, the chargeable PPR must already be in place or the aircraft will remain on stand until the field reopens the next morning.

When should a complete detail be scheduled at Augsburg?

The service is recommended once or twice a year: before the summer season, when the aircraft will be seen by charter clients or partners, and again in late autumn before winter operations begin. It is also the standard preparation before a pre-buy inspection, a delivery to a new owner, or any event where the aircraft's appearance will be scrutinised. Lead time depends on hangar availability; if a slot is already reserved for scheduled maintenance at Augsburg Air Service, the detail can often be added to that window with a week's notice. If no maintenance is planned, request the detail three to four weeks in advance so that hangar space and airside access can be arranged.

Avoid scheduling a complete detail immediately before a long positioning flight in winter or a transatlantic crossing in poor weather; freshly polished paint and brightwork will be covered in exhaust residue, glycol and salt within hours, and the cabin will be tracked through again by crew and passengers. The best result comes when the detail is the final preparation before the aircraft enters service or is presented for inspection, with no intermediate flight longer than an hour or two.