Exterior Dry Wash at Bolzano Dolomiti (LIPB)

How does a dry wash work on the ramp at Bolzano?

We arrive airside with all consumables, ladders and lighting in a van cleared for apron access. The aircraft remains on stand or is repositioned to an adjacent parking slot if the handler needs the gate freed. Rinseless chemistry lifts dirt into suspension without high-pressure water; we wipe panel by panel with microfibre applicators, turning cloths frequently to avoid scratching, then buff to a streak-free finish.

Belly and gear bays receive a biodegradable degreaser applied by hand and wiped clean—no spray wash, no pooling under the aircraft. Leading edges and nacelle inlets are treated for bug strike and exhaust carbon, and all exterior windows and position lights are polished. Brightwork around the cheat line is touched up if scuffing is light; deep oxidation requires a separate polish visit. The process generates only damp microfibre waste, bagged and removed from the ramp, so there are no environmental-compliance hurdles and no wait for a wash bay that doesn't exist at many alpine fields.

What changes at Bolzano Dolomiti for exterior detailing?

Bolzano sits at 789 feet elevation in an alpine valley with a single 1,432-metre runway, recently extended but still length-limited for some ultra-long-range types at higher weights or in summer density altitude. The airport operates 06:30 to 23:00 local, with handling available from 05:30; the General Aviation Office—run by ABD Airport, the in-house handler—is open 06:00 to 22:00. Those hours frame our working window: an overnight dry wash must finish before the morning departure slot, and a same-day turnaround clean fits only if block time and handler workflow allow three to eight hours on stand.

Hangarage is available through ABD under daily or long-term agreements, and a private hangar accommodates aircraft up to 100-seat class. If weather turns—snow, freezing rain or high wind funnelling through the valley—we can move the aircraft inside and complete the dry wash in shelter, though hangar availability must be requested in advance. Jet A1 is supplied 06:00 to 23:00 daily, so refuelling and detailing can run in parallel if the handler sequences them safely. Customs are on site, meaning non-Schengen arrivals clear here without diversion, which simplifies scheduling for eastbound or southbound flights pausing for a clean before positioning into the Schengen zone.

How do you coordinate with the handler and flight crew?

We liaise with ABD's General Aviation Office as soon as we receive the tech log and arrival time from the chief pilot or flight-department manager. The handler confirms stand assignment, GPU availability, refuelling schedule and any slot constraints. If the aircraft will depart within six hours, we agree a sequence: typically refuel first, then detailing while the pilots file and passengers clear customs, so the aircraft is clean and the panels are dry before engine start.

An airside escort from the handler is required unless our technician holds a current Bolzano airport pass; we arrange that escort timing to match aircraft chocks-on. The captain or handling agent provides a walk-around briefing—any recent scrapes, open write-ups, or no-touch zones around pitot probes and static ports. We photograph the aircraft on arrival, work without contacting avionics antennae or control-surface gaps, and deliver a post-clean photo report via email or WhatsApp before departure. If the crew wants a specific focus—belly degreasing after a long leg through tropical rain, or nacelle scrubbing after a dusty ramp—we adjust the sequence but keep the overall duration within the agreed window so handling and slot timings hold.

What does the belly and gear degreasing involve?

Hydraulic mist, engine oil weepage and runway de-icer residue accumulate fastest on the belly and inside gear bays, especially during winter operations at alpine airports. We apply a biodegradable degreaser by hand using brushes and microfibre pads, working from the nose gear aft along keel panels and outboard to the main-gear wells. The chemistry breaks down oil films and carbon without the high-pressure rinse that would scatter contaminated runoff across the apron.

Gear struts, bogies and brake assemblies are wiped clean of visible grime; we do not disassemble components or enter areas marked in the tech log as requiring maintenance sign-off. Once the degreaser has emulsified the soil, we wipe it away with fresh cloths, bagging the waste for off-site disposal. The result is a noticeably cleaner belly and gear that photographs well and reduces the rate at which new contamination adheres. For aircraft operating frequent alpine cycles with de-icing fluid and winter apron grit, this step is often the most visible improvement in a dry wash.

How long does the exterior dry wash take, and can it fit a quick turnaround?

A light jet or super-midsize typically needs three to four hours; a large-cabin or ultra-long-range jet runs five to eight hours, depending on how soiled the surfaces are and whether the belly requires deep degreasing. We quote duration after seeing the aircraft type, recent flight history and any photos the crew can share. If the turnaround window is shorter than our standard time, we offer a priorities-only clean—fuselage, wings and windows first, belly and nacelles deferred—but we make clear in the quote and the post-service report which areas were completed.

For same-day turnarounds at Bolzano, the single runway and valley weather can tighten margins: a morning arrival delayed by fog may push the departure slot into late afternoon, leaving only two or three hours on stand. In those cases we recommend scheduling the dry wash overnight or on a layover day when the aircraft will remain on the ground for twelve hours or more. An overnight clean also lets us work without apron traffic, GPU noise or passenger movements, and the handler can position the aircraft on a remote stand if the terminal apron is needed for scheduled services.

What documentation and photos do you provide after the clean?

We shoot before-and-after images on a tablet or phone: wide shots of the full aircraft from both sides, close-ups of the belly, nacelles, leading edges and any areas the crew flagged as concerns. The images are date- and time-stamped and uploaded to a shared folder or sent directly to the captain and flight-department manager within an hour of finishing. If a write-up or pre-existing scrape was noted during the walk-around, we include a captioned photo so there is no ambiguity about what was there before we started.

The photo report accompanies a short service summary listing what was completed—fuselage, wings, empennage, nacelles, belly, gear, windows, lights—and the products used, in case the OEM or a paint shop ever asks. No proprietary chemicals touch the exterior; everything is approved for painted aluminium, composite and acrylic windows. If the aircraft will cross into a jurisdiction with strict environmental or customs rules, we can provide a materials safety data sheet on request, though the rinseless process and bagged waste mean there is no discharge to document. The entire package gives the chief pilot a clean audit trail and reassures the owner or charter client that the aircraft left Bolzano in the condition they expect.