Brightwork Polish at Geneva (LSGG)

What changes at Geneva for brightwork detailing?

Geneva sits at 1411 feet elevation, four kilometres from the city centre, with a single 3900-metre runway serving both scheduled and business aviation. The airport permits take-offs from 06:00 to midnight local, but departures after 22:00 have been penalised since January 2025, so late-evening turnarounds compress into the window before 22:00. Business aviation FBOs—handling agents present at the airport—staff their desks from 06:00 to 22:00, with call-out available outside those hours if arranged in advance. That means a three-day brightwork session usually starts mid-morning and finishes before the evening push, or it runs overnight only if the handler and the operator have agreed the slot beforehand.

All general-aviation movements at LSGG require mandatory PPR, requested through your handler; you cannot approach Slot Coordination Switzerland directly. Customs, immigration and 24-hour security surveillance operate at the business aviation terminal on the south-west side, about two kilometres from Terminal 1. Airside contractor access goes through the FBO, so our crew checks in at the handler's desk, receives an escort or temporary pass, and moves the polishing kit to your stand. If the aircraft is cold-soaked after an overnight positioning, we wait for the leading edges to reach ambient temperature before starting; polishing cold metal traps condensation under the sealant.

How long does a brightwork polish take on the ramp at Geneva?

Duration depends on how much bare metal the airframe carries and how far the oxidation has progressed. A super-midsize jet with modest leading-edge strips, two inlet rings and a pair of exhaust cones usually takes one full day if the metal is lightly hazed. An ultra-long-range aircraft with wider leading edges, four engine inlets, nacelle brightwork and polished window surrounds stretches to two or three days when the aluminium has turned chalky or the stainless steel has dulled to grey. We do not count overnight hours unless the handler has staffed the apron and you have accepted the call-out cost; most sessions run consecutive daylight shifts with the aircraft on stand between legs.

Each surface is compounded by hand through three or four grades of polish, then buffed to a mirror finish and wiped with isopropyl alcohol before sealant goes on. Spinners, inlet rings and thrust-reverser petals come up quickly because the contours are regular. Leading edges take longer: every rivet line, every panel seam and every inspection door has to be worked by hand to avoid cutting through the surrounding paint. If the wing leading edge has been eroded by sand or hail strikes, we note the damage in the tech log but we do not fill or prime; that work belongs to paint-shop or sheet-metal repair, not to detailing.

Which surfaces are included in the brightwork service?

We polish any bare-metal component that oxidises in service: wing and horizontal-stabiliser leading edges, engine inlet rings, spinner cones, exhaust nozzles and thrust-reverser surfaces. Window surrounds, cheat-line trim and any other bright stainless-steel or aluminium detail also go into the scope if the operator requests it. The vertical stabiliser leading edge is included when it carries a bare-metal cap. Gear-bay brightwork—polished strut covers or wheel-well trim—can be added if the aircraft is already inside a hangar for another reason, but we do not pull an aircraft into the hangar solely for bay polishing; the ramp session focuses on the surfaces visible during walk-around.

After polishing, every surface receives a thin coat of metal sealant. The sealant is not a wax; it is a polymer barrier that slows oxidation by keeping moisture and combustion residue off the aluminium or stainless steel. Depending on the product the OEM approves, the sealant lasts three to six months before it needs renewal. Flight departments that operate in coastal or industrial environments usually schedule brightwork every quarter; those flying high and cold over the Atlantic or the Alps can stretch the interval to twice a year. Either way, the sealed finish stays reflective longer than bare metal left untreated after polishing.

What does the handler expect when we bring in a third-party detailing crew?

Handling agents at Geneva expect three things: advance notice, a named list of personnel with passport or ID-card details, and clarity about whether the work happens during a turnaround or across multiple days on stand. Advance notice means at least 48 hours, longer if the session falls on a weekend or during a high-season week when the apron is full. The handler arranges airside passes or escorts, confirms that GPU and ground lock-out will be available, and logs the detailing window in the movement sheet so that tug drivers and fuel trucks know the aircraft is occupied.

We send the handler our crew list, insurance certificate and a one-page scope of work before the aircraft lands. On the day, our team leader checks in at the FBO desk, collects badges, and meets your captain or the handling supervisor on the ramp. If the aircraft has just arrived and the cabin crew are still offloading bags, we wait; polishing starts only after the handler confirms that no more ground equipment will approach the aircraft. Water for rinsing comes from the FBO or from our own tank trailer if the apron has seasonal restrictions. Waste polish, used pads and sealant containers leave the airside in our van; nothing is discarded on the apron. At the end of each shift, we photograph the work, update the tech log if there is reportable damage, and hand the keys back to the handler or to your crew.

Why does brightwork oxidise faster at some airports than others?

Oxidation rate depends on three things: moisture, temperature cycling and the chemistry of what lands on the metal. Coastal airports load the air with salt; the sodium chloride pulls moisture into the oxide layer and accelerates pitting. Industrial cities contribute sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which turn into weak acids on a damp leading edge. High-altitude airports in dry climates slow the process, but they do not stop it; even in the Alps, morning dew and afternoon thunderstorms wet the metal enough to start oxidation. Engine inlets and exhaust surfaces oxidise faster than leading edges because combustion residue—unburned hydrocarbons, sulfur compounds, soot—coats the metal every time the engines spool up. Spinners see the same contamination plus whatever the inlet scoops off the runway: de-icing fluid, rubber dust, hydraulic mist from the nosewheel.

Temperature cycling adds mechanical stress. A cold-soaked wing at minus forty degrees Celsius warms to plus twenty on the Geneva apron in summer; the aluminium expands, the oxide layer cracks, and moisture seeps into the cracks. Over a dozen cycles the leading edge goes from bright to hazy to chalky. Polishing removes the damaged oxide and exposes fresh metal; sealant then gives that fresh surface a hydrophobic shield so that the next cycle takes longer to show. Flight departments that polish and seal on a calendar—twice a year for long-range jets, four times a year for high-cycle shuttles—keep the brightwork reflective without ever reaching the chalky stage.

Can brightwork polishing happen during a same-day turnaround at Geneva?

Only if the turnaround window is at least ten hours and the scope is limited to inlets, spinners and exhausts. Leading edges take too long to fit into a daylight turnaround; even on a super-midsize jet, both wings and the horizontal stabiliser add six to eight hours of hand work, and that assumes the metal is only lightly oxidised. A ten-hour slot gives us time to polish the four engine inlets, two spinners, the exhaust cones and any nacelle brightwork, then apply sealant and let it cure for an hour before the walkaround inspection. The aircraft can depart the same evening.

If the operator wants the full airframe—wings, stabilisers, inlets, exhausts—the aircraft stays on stand for two or three days. We have done compressed sessions where the jet arrives Friday evening, we work Saturday and Sunday, and it departs Monday morning, but those sessions require the handler to staff the apron over the weekend and the flight department to accept that the aircraft will not be available for charter or positioning during that window. Most chief pilots prefer to schedule brightwork during a maintenance downtime or at the end of a charter season, when the jet is already off the flight board for a week.