The Case For It
Why a private aircraft needs specialist detailing — and what separates a specialist from someone with a bucket.
Aircraft windows are usually acrylic, not glass. Ammonia-based household glass cleaner will craze and cloud an acrylic panel, and that damage does not polish out — the window gets replaced. Cabin upholstery is commonly treated to meet flammability requirements, and the wrong chemistry strips that treatment away.
We buy aviation-specific chemistry from Aerosense, a specialist aviation chemical manufacturer, and every product is matched to the surface it touches.
Dirt, carbon deposits and insect residue roughen the aircraft’s external surface, and that roughness adds parasitic drag. Industry studies put the penalty of a contaminated airframe at roughly half a percent to two percent of fuel burn, with heavily contaminated surfaces costing more again.
On a single flight that is negligible. Across a year of operation it is not — and it is the rare maintenance decision that pays for itself.
Sources: Avia Solutions Group and Nordic Dino published findings on aircraft exterior cleaning and fuel consumption.
Grime traps water and salt against the airframe, and the Western Cape coastline supplies plenty of both. Left alone, that is how corrosion starts. A clean surface is also an inspectable surface: cracks, chips, fluid weeps and lifting paint are all far easier to spot on an aircraft that was washed last week.
We are not engineers and we do not sign anything off — but anything we notice goes to you in writing, for your engineer to look at properly.
For a charter operator, the cabin is the product — passengers paying private rates notice a stained seat belt long before they notice the avionics. For an owner selling an aircraft, presentation is the first thing a buyer reads as a proxy for how the aircraft has been looked after.
A well-kept aircraft photographs better, views better and signals a careful owner. That is worth real money at the point of sale.
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Our Position
Most damage done to aircraft by cleaners is done confidently, by someone who was sure it would be fine. We work the other way around: approved products only, the right method for each surface, and a walk-around with you before anything is touched. If we are not certain a product is safe on your aircraft, we do not put it on your aircraft.
The Difference
We are a small operation, and we treat that as an advantage. You deal with the two people who will actually be doing the work.
SAAD holds the International Detailing Association’s Certified Detailer credential, earned by passing the IDA’s ten written examinations covering chemical and equipment use, interior detailing, paint protection, and safety and compliance.
Our products come from Aerosense, a specialist aviation chemical manufacturer. Acrylic-safe on transparencies, approved chemistry on painted surfaces, nothing abrasive anywhere.
A walk-around before we start, photographs of every existing mark, and a full before-and-after record on completion. No arguments later about what was already there.
Whichever window suits your flight programme — daytime, evening, overnight or weekend. We come to your hangar or stand anywhere in the Western Cape, and travel further by arrangement.
We never remove bolted-in parts or open panels — that is maintenance, and it belongs to a licensed engineer. Knowing where our work stops is part of doing it properly.
We carry cover appropriate to working on third-party aircraft, and our terms set out the damage-check process in writing before we start. Full details on request.
Get Started
Tell us the aircraft and the airfield. We will quote in writing within one business day.