Exterior Dry Wash at Nürnberg (EDDN)

What does a dry wash deliver at the General Aviation Terminal?

You get a complete exterior wipe-down with polymer-bearing rinseless chemistry that lifts and encapsulates dirt without high-pressure water. We start at the nose—radome, windscreen, forward fuselage—then work aft along the cheat line and over the wings, paying attention to bug residue on leading edges and nacelle inlets. The empennage, belly and main-gear bays are degreased with citrus-based aviation cleaners; we wipe down all exterior windows, position lights and strobes, and finish with a light brightwork touch-up where oxidation or exhaust staining has dulled the aluminium.

The result is not a mirror polish—that requires a single-stage machine correction—but it is a marked improvement in appearance and a proven way to protect the paint between full details. Most operators on a monthly or bi-monthly schedule find that a dry wash keeps the aircraft looking sharp for passengers and prevents the build-up of corrosive exhaust salts, especially around APU exhausts and over the tail cone.

Duration depends on size: a super-midsize takes three to four hours; an ultra-long-range airframe with tall T-tail and large winglets will stretch toward eight. We work on the apron or the GAT hardstand, so you avoid wash-bay queues and the aircraft is ready to taxi as soon as the tech log is signed.

What changes at Nürnberg that affects scheduling and access?

Nuremberg sits at 1 044 feet elevation, five kilometres north of the city centre, with a single 2 700-metre runway served by the General Aviation Terminal at Flughafenstr. 100. Unlike most German airports, Nürnberg is licensed for 24/7 operations: night passenger flights run during the summer peak, and cargo, general-aviation and military movements continue through the small hours in winter. AirPart GmbH, the handling agent and GAT operator, is staffed around the clock, so overnight ramp work—including exterior cleaning—is operationally possible if your inbound arrives late or you want the aircraft ready at first light.

Nuremberg is a Level 2 'schedules facilitated' airport under FHKD coordination, but Universal Weather lists no slot requirement for business aviation, and the GAT desk (open Monday to Friday 06:00–21:30 and weekends 08:30–18:00 CET) will coordinate a stand and any PPR paperwork. The handler holds IATA AHM 804 and ISAGO certification, so they know what a third-party detailing crew needs: airside escort if our team does not hold a local pass, GPU or APU run clearance if we are working around avionics bays, and a small exclusion zone on the apron to keep ground equipment and tow tractors clear of our kit.

Winter in Franconia is cold and damp—paint stays cold-soaked well into March—so any polymer sealant we apply cures slowly and may not reach full hydrophobicity for twenty-four hours. Summer heat accelerates curing but also means more insect strikes on the nose and leading edges, so operators flying in and out of Nürnberg between May and September often book a dry wash every three weeks rather than four.

How does a handler treat a third-party appearance crew on the ramp?

AirPart expects a short briefing: who you are, which aircraft, how long you will be on stand, and whether you need GPU power or access to the APU. If our technician does not hold a permanent Nürnberg airside pass, the handler will assign an escort; that escort stays within sight but does not interfere with the work. We bring our own water (five to ten litres for a dry wash, all of it captured in microfibre), so there is no demand on the hydrant truck and no drainage question.

The handler will also want to see your insurance certificate and a method statement if this is the first visit, but once you are in their system as a recurring vendor the process reduces to a quick radio call when you arrive airside. If the aircraft is due to depart within two hours of our finishing, the handler may ask us to stay on the apron until the captain has done his walk-around, in case a smear or missed panel needs a touch-up before engine start.

When does recurring dry-wash make sense at a Nuremberg base?

If your aircraft overnights at Nürnberg more than twice a month, a standing dry-wash order—say, every third visit or every four weeks—keeps the exterior consistently clean and spreads the cost across the operating budget rather than hitting it in one large invoice twice a year. The General Aviation Terminal apron is compact, so the handler knows which tail numbers are regulars; they will often park a recurring customer on the same stand, which makes our logistics simpler and means we can pre-position kit in a corner of the GAT if the handler agrees.

Recurring work also lets us track the condition of the paint: we note any new chips on the leading edges, any hydraulic weeps near actuator doors, and any areas where exhaust soot is baking onto the tail cone despite regular cleaning. That information goes into a short report after each visit, so the chief pilot or maintenance controller can see trends and decide when a full correction polish or a touch-up respray is due.

One-off cleans remain common for charter operators whose routing through Nuremberg is irregular, or for an owner who wants the aircraft looking sharp before a specific trip. In those cases we coordinate the date and stand location with AirPart a few days in advance, and the process is identical—just without the standing purchase order and the historical record.

What does Franconian weather do to paint and how does a dry wash help?

Nuremberg's continental climate delivers cold, overcast winters with occasional snow, and warm summers broken by thunderstorms that leave the airframe covered in rain spots and dried pollen. Winter road salt—blown onto the apron by jet blast and rotor wash—settles into panel gaps and around the belly; if it is not removed it will wick moisture and start corrosion under the paint edge. Summer brings dense clouds of midges and moths around the runway thresholds at dusk, so a night departure or an early-morning arrival often means a nose and wing leading edge thick with bug strike.

A dry wash tackles both: the rinseless chemistry is pH-neutral and safe for all OEM paint systems, but strong enough to dissolve road-salt residue and break down the proteins in dried insect matter. We work the leading edges with a dedicated bug sponge and a citrus pre-spray, then follow with a polymer-bearing final wipe that leaves a hydrophobic film; that film sheds the next rain shower and makes the subsequent clean faster.

The 24/7 handler access means we can schedule the wash for late evening in summer, when the airframe has cooled and the polymer cures overnight, or for mid-morning in winter when the sun has lifted the surface temperature above five degrees and the product will bond properly. Either way, the paint stays protected and the aircraft stays off the corrosion watch-list.

Why choose waterless over a traditional wash bay at Nürnberg?

Speed and simplicity. A wash bay requires a tow from the GAT apron to the maintenance area, a queue if another aircraft is already in the bay, and a second tow back to stand once the aircraft is dry. That adds an hour to ninety minutes of ground time, and it requires the handler to allocate a tug and a headset-equipped wing-walker. A dry wash happens on stand: we arrive, the handler escorts us to the aircraft, and we start work. When we finish, the aircraft is ready to taxi.

Waterless cleaning also eliminates runoff, which matters at airports where wash-water must be captured and treated. Nürnberg has no specific prohibition, but some operators prefer the simplicity of a no-discharge method, especially if the aircraft will reposition to another European field with stricter environmental rules immediately afterward. Finally, a dry wash is kinder to cold-soaked paint in winter: there is no thermal shock from warm wash water hitting a frozen leading edge, and no risk of water pooling in a static port or pitot tube if the covers were left off.