Aircraft Detailing at Lyon-Bron (LFLY)

What changes at Lyon-Bron between winter and summer?

The airport sits at 659 feet on the eastern edge of the city, which means frost and ice accumulation on cold-soaked airframes from November through March, especially on overnight stops. Pitot covers and static-port protection are routine, and any exterior work in winter starts with a visual check of leading edges and nacelle inlets for residual moisture that can refreeze. We do not apply ceramic coatings when the surface temperature is below seven degrees or when freezing fog is forecast within twelve hours of cure.

Spring and summer bring higher apron temperatures and the pollen load typical of the Rhône valley—fine yellow dust that bonds to wax and to any hydrophobic layer. A rinseless wash every four to six weeks keeps the coating intact and the cheat line free of streaks. July and August are the busiest months for based fleets departing to the Mediterranean, so lead times for a complete detail stretch to five days; quick turns and cabin-only work remain same-day if the aircraft arrives before ten in the morning.

How do quick turns work on the Bron apron?

A quick turn at Lyon-Bron is a flight-ready cabin reset performed between two legs, typically while the aircraft is on GPU and the handler is uploading catering or fuel. We arrive at the stand as soon as the door opens, carry our kit aboard and complete galley wipe-down, lavatory service, vacuum, window cleaning and a visual check of seat leather in forty to seventy minutes, depending on cabin size. The tech log stays with the captain or first officer; we do not handle it, and we leave no product residue on avionics, touchscreens or the glareshield.

Coordination with the handling agent present at the airport is straightforward: they tell us when GPU will be connected and when catering is expected, and we schedule our arrival to stay out of the fuel truck's path. If you are flying two legs in one day and need the cabin refreshed at the turn, a message to our operations desk the evening before is enough; for same-day requests we ask for two hours' notice if the aircraft is already on the ground, one hour if it is still inbound.

What does a full exterior dry wash include at LFLY?

An exterior dry wash is a complete clean of fuselage, wings, tail, nacelles, belly and gear doors using aviation-approved waterless products, performed on the ramp without a tow to a wash pad. The process removes exhaust staining, bug strike, light oil streaks and general grime, and it restores the hydrophobic behaviour of any existing wax or ceramic layer. We start at the nose, work aft along both sides, then do the upper fuselage from a ladder, finishing with the belly and gear bays if the aircraft will remain on the stand long enough for the handler to provide tow-bar access or if we can reach the belly panels safely from the apron.

Total time is two and a half to four hours for a super-midsize, longer for an ultra-long-range airframe or if brightwork polish is added. The aircraft can be on GPU throughout, and we work around open panels if maintenance is active. Exhaust cones and nacelle inlets are cleaned but not polished unless you request brightwork service; leading edges are inspected for paint chips or corrosion and noted in the photo report.

Why is the photo report part of every detailing job?

Every exterior wash, interior detail and ceramic-coating application at Lyon-Bron closes with a digital photo report delivered to the chief pilot or flight-department manager within two hours of wheels-up. The report documents the condition of the aircraft before we start—paint defects, corrosion on leading edges, cracks in brightwork, worn cabin materials—and after we finish, so that you have a dated record of appearance and of any maintenance flags we observed.

The photographs are time-stamped and geotagged, stored on our server for twenty-four months, and available as a PDF or as individual files. If you operate under an SMS or if your insurer requires photographic evidence of pre-flight condition, the report satisfies that requirement. It also gives your next detailer—whether us or someone else—a baseline to work from, which speeds up the walk-around and reduces the risk of dispute over pre-existing damage.

What does a ceramic coating do for a based aircraft at Bron?

A ceramic coating is a chemical layer bonded to corrected and polished paint, forming a hydrophobic, UV-resistant surface that lasts two to four years depending on flight hours and how often the aircraft sits outdoors. For fleets based at Lyon-Bron—where the apron is open and the airframe is exposed to rain, pollen, summer heat and winter frost—the coating reduces the frequency of exterior wash from every three weeks to every six or eight, cuts the labour cost of each wash by half because contaminants no longer bond to the paint, and keeps the cheat line and registration marks free of the yellow staining common on white fuselages in the Rhône valley.

Application takes one full day: we decontaminate the paint with a clay bar, correct any oxidation or swirl marks with a single-stage polish, apply the ceramic in two passes, then allow twelve hours for the initial cure. The aircraft must remain on the stand overnight, and we ask for forty-eight hours without rain after application. If the aircraft is due for a C-check or heavy maintenance within six months, we recommend waiting until it returns to service so that the coating is not damaged by panel removal or by the degreaser used in the engine bays.

How does Terso handle airside access and handler coordination at Lyon-Bron?

Lyon-Bron is a dedicated business-aviation airport operated by Aéroports de Lyon, and the entire terminal and apron are reserved for GA traffic. We hold a permanent airside pass for France and coordinate each job with the handling agent present at the airport, who provides us with stand number, GPU schedule and any movement restrictions. Because the airport is not slot-coordinated and has no curfew, we can start work as early as six in the morning or as late as ten in the evening, depending on your departure time and the handler's shift.

If your aircraft is arriving from outside Schengen, we wait for customs and immigration clearance before approaching the stand. If you are departing on a PPR slot at another field and need the exterior washed or the cabin detailed before wheels-up, we ask for the handler's contact details and your planned off-blocks time when you book, so that we can confirm the window and avoid any conflict with fuelling or catering upload.