Brightwork Polish at Marseille Provence (LFML)

What happens during a brightwork polish at Marseille Provence?

The aircraft is positioned on stand and connected to GPU if the turnaround window is tight. Our technician inspects every bare-metal surface—wing and horizontal-stabiliser leading edges, nacelle inlet rings, spinner cones, exhaust petals, thrust-reverser sleeves and any bright window surrounds or cheat-line trim—logging oxidation, pitting and staining. Each area is then hand-polished through progressively finer compounds until the metal reflects cleanly, free of haze and micro-scratches.

Once mirror finish is achieved, we apply a hydrophobic sealant that bonds to the polished surface, slowing the return of oxidation and making the next wash easier. Window surrounds and trim are masked where they meet paint or composite panels to avoid compound transfer. The entire process is photographed at inspection, mid-polish and completion, and the image set goes into your tech log alongside a signed worksheet. Duration ranges from one full day for a light jet with minimal brightwork to three days for an ultra-long-range aircraft carrying extensive bare-metal leading edges and four large nacelles.

How does mandatory handling shape the detailing timeline?

The AIP requires that the handling agent be contacted before departure from the origin aerodrome, and Jetex lists handling as mandatory. In practice this means your dispatcher or ops desk notifies the FBO during flight planning, and Jetex allocates the stand, arranges GPU if requested, and issues the airside escort for our crew. We coordinate entry time and vehicle registration with the handler seventy-two hours before the slot, then again on the morning of arrival to confirm ramp position and any last-minute changes to parking.

Because the handler controls airside access, the detailing schedule depends on their escort availability and any parallel movements—refuelling trucks, catering vans, tug operations. If the aircraft arrives late morning and departs the following afternoon, we typically begin polishing within an hour of chocks-on, work through the day, and resume early the next morning to complete sealing and final inspection. For longer layovers the work can be split across convenient shifts, avoiding night premiums while still meeting your departure time. The FBO's H24 staffing means even an AOG extension or a repositioning that lands after midnight will not strand the detailing crew at the gate.

What changes at Marseille Provence compared to other French city hubs?

Marseille Provence sits at just 70 feet elevation and operates two runways—13L/31R at 3,500 metres and the shorter 13R/31L at 2,370 metres—more than adequate for any business jet you will position here. The airport is H24 with no closure periods and no slot-curfew; COHOR classifies it as Level 1, meaning you can file a repositioning or adjust your layover window without waiting for schedule facilitation. Night-time noise rules exist for marginally compliant aircraft, but they do not close the field or require slot approval.

Customs and immigration operate around the clock and are cleared at the Jetex terminal on Route de l'aviation générale in Marignane, so both Schengen and non-Schengen arrivals process without delay. The single handling agent—Jetex—provides fuelling, de-icing and ramp services H24, which simplifies coordination: one phone call, one airside pass, one point of contact for stand allocation and crew escort. Because the airport lies 27 kilometres north-west of Marseille city centre, it serves the wider Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and charter operators often use it as a staging point between Côte d'Azur legs and long-haul positioning. That predictable traffic mix means the ramp rarely sees the congestion or last-minute stand changes common at busier coordinated airports.

Why polish brightwork two to four times a year?

Bare aluminium oxidises whenever it meets moisture and oxygen, forming a dull grey layer that deepens with every flight cycle. Leading edges see the highest airspeed and the most rain, so they tarnish fastest; inlet rings and spinners collect exhaust soot and turbine oil mist, which accelerates corrosion if left in place. Polishing every three to six months removes the oxide before it etches the underlying metal, preserving both the mirror finish and the material thickness that the OEM specified.

The sealant we apply after polishing is hydrophobic and bonds at the molecular level, but it wears away under rain, de-icing fluid and repeated dry washes. By the fourth month the protection is thin enough that oxidation resumes at normal speed. Scheduling a polish twice a year—spring and autumn—keeps brightwork reflective through the charter season and minimises the labour required at each visit, because light oxidation comes off in minutes rather than hours. If your aircraft operates in maritime or industrial environments, or if it sits outdoors between trips, quarterly polishing is more practical; for hangared fleets with lower utilisation, twice a year suffices.

What documentation and photos does the crew receive?

Before any compound touches metal, the technician photographs every surface to be polished—full nacelle, leading-edge span, spinner face, exhaust petals—and notes any pre-existing damage: stone chips, dents, scratches through to primer, corrosion pits. Those images and notes form the inspection record. Mid-way through the process we capture progress shots showing half-polished panels beside untouched areas, which makes the improvement visible and confirms that no new marks appeared during work.

At completion we photograph each polished surface under ramp lighting from two angles, then compile the entire set—inspection, progress, final—into a PDF report indexed by airframe station and component. The report includes the products used, the sealant batch number, ambient temperature during application, and any recommendations for the next visit: deeper pitting that may need wet-sanding, areas where paint is lifting at the mask line, or fasteners that should be checked by maintenance. A signed worksheet goes into the tech log, and the PDF is emailed to the address your dispatcher provides, usually within an hour of the walk-around sign-off. If you need the images formatted for an owner's portal or a specific maintenance-tracking system, we can deliver them as individual JPEGs with EXIF location data intact.

Can brightwork polish be combined with a wash or interior clean?

Yes, and the combination is efficient when the aircraft will remain on stand for more than one day. A typical sequence starts with a rinseless or dry wash to remove surface dirt and exhaust residue, which prevents grit from being dragged across the metal during polishing. While the exterior dries, one technician begins the leading-edge polish and another moves inside for a cabin detail or deep clean. By mid-afternoon the fuselage is clean, the brightwork is half-finished, and the interior work continues without waiting for the exterior crew to complete.

The next morning we finish polishing, apply sealant, and conduct the final walk-around while the cabin technician completes galley degreasing or leather conditioning. The result is an aircraft that leaves Marseille with mirror-finish metal, a spot-free fuselage and a refreshed interior, all documented in a single combined report. This approach works particularly well at LFML because the H24 handler can accommodate extended ramp time without slot pressure, and the lack of curfew means we are not forced to pause work overnight if the schedule allows continuous access.