Brightwork Polish at Florence Peretola (LIRQ)

What changes at Florence Peretola?

Florence Peretola sits at 142 feet elevation, five kilometres north-west of the city centre, and is managed by Toscana Aeroporti—the same operator that runs Pisa. The single runway, 05/23, measures 1,560 metres with displaced thresholds on both ends, which places real-world limits on MTOW for departures in summer or when the wind is light. The airport is slot-coordinated, so every arrival and departure window matters.

Four handling agents are present at the airport: Signature Aviation operates as Signature Florence, alongside Sky Services, AviaVIP (trading as Argos VIP Private Handling) and Toscana Aeroporti Handling. We work with whichever agent you select, coordinating stand allocation, GPU connection and overnight security if the polish runs across two days. Because the runway is short and slots are tight, most operators plan brightwork either as part of a scheduled overnight or during a longer Florence stay when the aircraft is not needed for a morning departure. If you arrive mid-afternoon and depart late the following day, we have the hours we need without pressure on your slot.

Airside access at LIRQ follows standard Italian protocols: our team holds valid airside passes and is escorted by the handler when required. The ramp is compact, so moving a trestle or repositioning a light tower is straightforward. We bring our own water in closed containers—there are no restrictions on rinseless product at Florence—and all waste polish residue leaves with us at the end of each shift.

How do you coordinate a brightwork polish with the Florence handler?

We open the conversation with your handler as soon as you confirm the booking. The handler needs to know the stand will be occupied for the full duration, that GPU will be required if we are working overnight or in cold weather, and that our crew will need airside escort unless they are already familiar faces on the Peretola ramp. Most brightwork polishes at Florence happen on overnight stops or during multi-day visits, so the handler is usually managing a static aircraft rather than a quick turnaround.

If the aircraft is cold-soaked after a morning arrival, we wait until the fuel has warmed and any residual frost has cleared from the wing before we begin. Polishing cold-soaked metal can trap moisture under the sealant, so we check leading-edge temperature by hand and, if necessary, delay the start by two or three hours. The handler appreciates knowing this in advance, because it affects stand release and any daytime noise restrictions that might apply to ground equipment.

At the end of the job we walk the aircraft with the handler and the captain or chief pilot if they are on-site, photograph every polished surface under natural light, and hand over the signed worksheet and image set. The handler notes the work in the movement log, and we file a copy of the photo report with the tech log if requested.

What does the brightwork-polish process involve at LIRQ?

We begin by washing the entire aircraft—usually a rinseless wash, because it conserves water and eliminates the risk of runoff on the apron. Once the fuselage and wings are clean, we mask the composite panels adjacent to every piece of bare metal: wing and horizontal-stabiliser leading edges, engine inlet rings, spinners, exhaust cones, thrust-reverser petals and any window surrounds or cheat-line trim that are polished rather than painted.

The polish itself is done by hand using graduated compounds. Heavy oxidation and staining come off with a coarse cutting compound, then we step down through finer grades until the metal shows a true mirror finish. Inlet rings and spinners often carry heat discolouration that requires more passes than leading edges, and exhaust cones can be pitted by combustion residue if they have not been polished in the past year. We work each surface to the same standard, checking the reflection under daylight and again under work lamps if we are finishing after sunset.

After the final polish we apply a sealant designed for aerospace bare metal. The sealant slows oxidation and makes the next polish easier, but it is not permanent—you will see the mirror fade over four to six months depending on how often the aircraft flies through visible moisture. We recommend brightwork polish two to four times a year, or as part of a complete detail when the interior is also being refurbished.

How does recurring brightwork work differ from a one-off polish?

An aircraft that comes to Florence every quarter for brightwork is faster to turn around than one that has not been polished in two years. On a recurring schedule the oxidation is still light, so we skip the heavy cutting compound and move straight to the intermediate and fine grades. That can reduce the work from three days to one, and it means less masking, less waste compound and a lower risk of micro-scratching the metal.

Operators with a home base at Florence—or those who position here regularly for owner trips into Tuscany—often fold brightwork into a standing maintenance calendar. We arrive on a fixed weekday each quarter, the handler knows the drill, and the aircraft is back on the line the next morning. The sealant from the previous polish is still partly active, so the new layer bonds well and the protection lasts longer.

One-off polishes, by contrast, usually follow a long gap or a change of operator. The metal may be heavily oxidised, heat-discoloured around the engines, or stained by exhaust soot that has been baked on over dozens of flights. We budget extra time, bring a wider range of compounds, and plan for two or three nights on stand. The result is the same mirror finish, but the path to get there is longer. After that first restoration, switching to a recurring schedule makes economic sense: each subsequent polish is faster and the metal stays brighter between visits.

What documentation and photo reporting do you provide?

Every brightwork polish at Florence Peretola concludes with a written worksheet and a digital photo set. The worksheet lists the surfaces polished, the compounds used, the sealant batch number and the total man-hours on stand. We note any pre-existing damage—stone chips on leading edges, corrosion spots under old sealant, cracks in inlet rings—so there is no ambiguity when the tech log is updated.

The photo set includes before-and-after pairs for each major surface: left and right wing leading edges, horizontal stabiliser, both engine inlets, spinners, exhaust cones and any window surrounds or trim. We shoot in natural light when possible, because it shows the true mirror finish without the flare of work lamps. If the polish runs overnight and we finish before dawn, we return at first light to capture the final images. The entire set is delivered as a ZIP archive or via shared link, and we keep a copy on file for three years in case you need it for a pre-purchase inspection or insurance claim.

If you want the documentation filed directly with the tech log, we coordinate with the handler to have the captain or maintenance coordinator sign off on site. Some operators prefer to receive the report by email and file it themselves; either way, the paper trail is complete before the aircraft leaves the stand.

Why does brightwork oxidise, and how does sealing slow it down?

Bare aluminium alloy reacts with oxygen and moisture in the air, forming a dull grey oxide layer that hides the metal's natural lustre. The process accelerates when the aircraft flies through rain, sits overnight in humid air or operates from coastal airports where salt is present. Engine inlet rings and exhaust cones also see heat cycling, which speeds oxidation and can bake on combustion residue that ordinary washing will not remove.

Hand polishing removes the oxide layer and any embedded contamination, exposing fresh metal that reflects light like a mirror. But without protection that mirror finish begins to dull again within weeks. The sealant we apply after polishing creates a molecular barrier between the metal and the atmosphere, slowing the oxidation reaction and shedding water during flight and ground operations. It is not a permanent coating—UV exposure and repeated washing gradually wear it away—but it extends the bright phase from a few weeks to several months.

On a recurring schedule the sealant never fully disappears, so each new application bonds to the residue of the last and the protection compounds over time. Aircraft polished every quarter stay brighter year-round than those polished once a year, and the labour saving on each visit pays for the extra frequency within two or three cycles.