Exterior Dry Wash at Chambéry Savoie Mont Blanc (LFLB)

What changes at Chambéry Savoie Mont Blanc for exterior dry wash?

Chambéry sits at 779 feet elevation with a 2,020-metre main runway and a 700-metre grass strip. The airport is not H24: ATS hours run 0700–2000 UTC (0600–2000 UTC on winter Saturdays), and the dedicated business aviation terminal operates 07:30–21:00 local in the winter season (1 December to 30 April) and 08:30–18:30 weekdays, 09:00–18:00 weekends in the low season (1 May to 30 November). Handling is requested through MyHandling, and all business aviation movements require a slot authorisation number filed in the flight plan—Chambéry is Level 2 schedules-facilitated in winter, with a maximum of five arrivals per hour on winter weekends and limited overnight parking Friday through Sunday.

There is no hangar space for visiting aircraft, so every dry wash happens outdoors on the apron, exposed to Alpine winter weather. We schedule the work inside the published FBO hours and coordinate the stand assignment with the handling agent present at the airport. Customs operates only on PPR with 24-hour prior notice, and every international flight—Schengen or otherwise—must file passenger and crew identities 24 hours before arrival via MyHandling. The winter concentration of traffic means turnaround windows are tight; we arrive with airside escort already arranged and all materials on a trolley, ready to begin as soon as the aircraft is on chocks and the GPU is connected.

How do you document an exterior dry wash at this airport?

Every dry wash generates a full photographic report: wide shots of each side of the aircraft before we start, close-ups of any pre-existing marks or stains on the belly or nacelles, and after images showing the cleaned fuselage, wings, empennage and brightwork. The report is timestamped, tagged with the registration and the stand number, and delivered as a PDF within two hours of the aircraft release. A tech-log entry accompanies the photo set, written in the format your maintenance-tracking system expects, and both documents are sent to the email address you nominate when the work is booked.

Documentation matters at Chambéry because many flights are one-off charters into Courchevel or Chamonix rather than recurring fleet visits, and the next crew may not be the same team. The photo record proves what was done, shows the condition of the belly and gear bays before departure, and provides a baseline if the aircraft returns for a decon or single-stage polish later in the season. If the handling agent or the chief pilot needs a copy for their own files, we send it the same day.

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

Handling agents present at the airport expect us to arrive with our own airside escort already confirmed, to stay within the stand assignment they have given the aircraft, and to clear the apron before the next slot if the turnaround is tight. We do not ask the handler to supply water, power beyond the aircraft GPU, or waste disposal; dry wash produces no runoff and all used towels leave the airside in our van. If the aircraft is parked overnight Friday to Sunday during the winter slot-restriction period, we confirm the overnight-parking authorisation number with the handler before we book the job, because the airport limits weekend spaces and we will not schedule work on an aircraft that may be moved.

The handler also expects a mobile number they can reach if the slot changes or if the aircraft needs to be pushed back early. We provide that number when we request apron access through MyHandling, and we keep the same contact active for every visit. If customs officers are attending the business terminal—mandatory on PPR for all international flights—we stay clear of the cabin door and the passenger steps until the officers have finished, and we do not open any access panels or baggage doors without telling the handler first.

Does recurring work at Chambéry differ from a one-off dry wash?

Recurring work—typically a fleet programme with a fortnightly or monthly dry wash written into the schedule—lets us pre-position materials at the FBO, streamline the MyHandling booking each time, and build a history of the airframe condition in the photo reports. The handler learns to expect us on a given day of the week, the crew knows the turnaround will include the wash, and we can flag any new belly staining or leading-edge damage as soon as it appears, before it needs a decon or a polish to remove. Recurring visits also mean we can schedule around the winter weekend slot restrictions: if the aircraft arrives every second Friday, we book the wash for Saturday morning when the FBO opens at 07:30 and the tower at 08:00, and the jet is clean before the first departure slot.

A one-off dry wash—often requested by a charter operator or a transient owner—requires the same documentation and the same airside coordination, but we cannot pre-position materials and we have no baseline photos to compare against. We still deliver the full photo report and tech-log entry, but the turnaround takes thirty minutes longer because we carry everything onto the apron in one trip and we inspect the entire airframe as if it were the first time. One-off work is common at Chambéry in the ski season: the aircraft flies in from Geneva or Milan, spends two days on the ground while passengers are in Val d'Isère, and the owner wants it clean before the return leg.

How do you handle access and airside logistics during the winter season?

Access at Chambéry begins with a PPR slot authorisation number in the flight plan and a handling request through MyHandling, which we monitor as soon as you tell us the registration and the arrival time. We apply for our own airside pass and escort 48 hours before the aircraft lands—earlier if the arrival is on a winter weekend—and we confirm the stand assignment with the handler the evening before. On the day, we drive airside with all dry-wash materials, park the van at the edge of the apron, and walk to the aircraft with a trolley carrying the waterless cleaner, microfibre towels, degreaser for the belly and gear bays, and separate cloths for the windows and lights.

Winter weather at 779 feet means temperatures can drop below freezing overnight, and the apron may be treated with Type I or Type IV fluid if snow is forecast. We do not dry-wash an aircraft that is cold-soaked or covered in frost; the waterless product will not emulsify dirt on a frozen surface, and wiping will scratch the paint. If the jet has been on the ground overnight in sub-zero temperatures, we wait until the fuselage skin warms above five degrees Celsius—either in morning sun or after the engines have run—before we start. The handler is told in advance that the wash may be delayed by weather, and if the delay pushes into the next slot, we reschedule rather than rush the job.

Why choose a dry wash instead of waiting for a wet wash at another airport?

Chambéry has no hangar space for visiting aircraft and no wash bay, so any wet wash means ferrying the jet to Geneva, Lyon or Annecy after the passengers disembark. A dry wash on the apron at Chambéry removes the bug residue, exhaust soot and hydraulic film that accumulate during regular service, restores a professional appearance before the next leg, and costs no ferry time and no empty positioning. The aircraft stays on the stand you have already paid for, the wash fits inside the turnaround or the overnight, and you leave with a photo report proving the work was done.

Dry wash is also the only exterior cleaning compatible with the winter slot restrictions and the tight weekend schedule: a wet wash at another airport means losing the Friday-to-Sunday parking slot, filing a new flight plan, and requesting a fresh customs PPR when you return. For fleet operators running a regular Chambéry rotation—Friday inbound, Sunday outbound—a fortnightly dry wash keeps the cheat line, winglets and nacelles presentable without disrupting the programme or adding an extra sector to the tech log.