Complete Detail at Florence Peretola (LIRQ)

Why does a complete detail take several days at Florence?

Decontamination cannot be rushed. We strip industrial fallout, tree sap, insect strikes and the fine Tuscan dust that works its way into every panel gap, then clay the paint to a glass-smooth surface before the single-stage polish. Brightwork—nacelle lips, leading edges, winglets—is polished by hand in multiple passes. Inside, we remove every loose article, vacuum the hidden plenum grilles and seat tracks, treat leather with pH-neutral cleaners, then disinfect hard and soft surfaces to hospital standard.

The photographic report alone requires two or three hours: before-and-after pairs of every exterior panel, the cheat line, the belly, gear bays, the cabin from a dozen angles, even the static ports and pitot covers in place. That record becomes the baseline for your next pre-buy or the proof a buyer needs that the aircraft has been maintained to the highest appearance standard.

Hangar time is almost always required. Florence's single 1,560-metre runway and its proximity to the Apennine foothills mean autumn and winter bring low cloud, and the short slot windows mean you cannot afford a rain interruption halfway through a polish. We coordinate with the handling agent to confirm hangar availability before we quote a start date.

What changes at Florence Peretola for a multi-day detail?

Florence Peretola sits at 142 feet elevation, five kilometres north-west of the city centre, and operates a single runway—05/23, only 1,560 metres long with displaced thresholds at both ends. That short strip and the surrounding terrain mean performance planning is tighter than at Pisa or Bologna, especially when the aircraft is cold-soaked or the stand is far from the threshold. If your jet will remain on the apron for three or four days, confirm with your handler that the slot and stand assignment allow a rolling departure window; a fixed PPR time can become a problem if the detail runs an hour over.

Four handling agents are present at the airport: Signature Aviation (Signature Florence), Sky Services, AviaVIP (Argos VIP Private Handling) and Toscana Aeroporti Handling—the last being the airport operator's own team. Each has its own procedures for third-party contractors airside. We hold an escort pass, but some handlers prefer their own ramp marshal to remain with us whenever the GPU is connected or when we open panels for belly and gear-bay access. Ask your handler which protocol applies; it costs nothing and avoids a standstill on day two.

Florence is slot-coordinated. If your detail coincides with the summer peak or a long weekend, request the slot as soon as the hangar and our schedule align. A missed slot can mean a twenty-four-hour slip, and that may push the final inspection into a curfew window or a handler shift change.

What does Tuscan climate do to paint and cabin between details?

Tuscany's summers are hot and dry; the apron at Florence regularly sees thirty-five degrees in July and August, and that heat bakes road film, pollen and agricultural dust onto the paint. If the aircraft has flown into Peretola from a coastal strip—Olbia, Nice, Cannes—salt haze adds another layer. By September the paint feels gritty to the touch, and a simple dry wash will not remove the bonded contamination; only a clay-bar decontamination and polish will.

Inside, the Tuscan sun through the cabin windows heats leather to the point where oils migrate to the surface, then oxidise. Untreated, that oxidation becomes a grey bloom that no amount of dusting will shift. We treat every leather surface with a cleaner that lifts the oxidised oil, then apply a conditioner with UV inhibitors. The result is a cabin that looks—and smells—like it did at delivery.

Brightwork tarnishes faster here than in northern Europe. The combination of heat, humidity from the Arno valley and occasional Saharan dust events means nacelle lips and leading edges lose their mirror finish in six months. We polish brightwork to the OEM standard, then apply a hydrophobic sealant that doubles the interval before the next treatment.

How does the photographic report work, and who needs it?

We shoot between two hundred and three hundred images per aircraft: every exterior panel in raking light to show paint depth and any remaining blemishes, close-ups of the cheat line and registration, the belly from nose to tail, each gear bay, the nacelles, winglets and control surfaces. Inside, we document the flight deck, every cabin zone, the galley, the lavatory, even the carpet seams and the stitching on the seats. Each image is time-stamped and geotagged.

The before-and-after pairs go into a PDF report, typically forty to sixty pages, indexed by airframe section. If you are preparing for a pre-buy inspection, the buyer's surveyor will compare our images with his own findings; discrepancies are rare, and that consistency shortens the inspection and smooths the negotiation. If you are taking delivery of a jet that has just come out of paint or refurbishment, the report becomes the baseline for your first annual detail.

Chief pilots use the report to justify the maintenance budget to the owner. A picture of a polished nacelle beside a tarnished one, or a disinfected cabin beside a neglected one, makes the case better than any narrative. We deliver the report within twenty-four hours of the final walk-around, and we keep a copy in our records for three years.

What do Florence handlers expect from a detailing crew on the ramp?

Every handler at Florence wants the same things: no surprises, no spills, no interference with their own turnaround schedule. We notify the handler forty-eight hours before we arrive, confirm the stand number and the GPU type, and ask whether they require their own marshal present when we open panels or connect ground power. Some do, some do not; the answer depends on their insurance and their relationship with the airport authority.

We bring our own water in sealed containers—Florence has seasonal restrictions on potable water for aircraft washing—so we never ask to tap the apron hydrant. All waste goes into our own containers and leaves the airside with us. If we are working in a hangar, we confirm ventilation and lighting with the handler the day before; some hangars at Florence are shared, and the schedule can shift if another aircraft arrives AOG.

Handlers appreciate a single point of contact. Our crew leader carries a radio on the apron frequency and a mobile that rings through to the handler's duty desk. If the detail runs past the agreed window, we tell them immediately; if we finish early, we tell them that too, so they can release the stand or the hangar bay. That communication costs nothing and ensures we are invited back.

When should you schedule a complete detail at Florence?

The ideal moment is before a pre-buy inspection or a sale, when the photographic record and the restored appearance can add tens of thousands to the transaction value. The second-best moment is at the start of the season—April or May—so the aircraft enters the busy summer months with protected paint, conditioned leather and a cabin that smells fresh after the first leg.

Some operators schedule a complete detail twice a year: once in spring, once in autumn after the summer's heat and dust have taken their toll. That cadence keeps the paint in single-stage condition, meaning you never need a compound-and-polish cycle that removes microns of clear coat. It also means the cabin never reaches the point where stains have set or leather has cracked.

Avoid scheduling a detail during the peak summer weeks unless you have a firm slot and hangar booking. Florence is slot-coordinated, and July and August bring heavy leisure traffic into Tuscany; a delayed detail can cascade into a missed positioning flight or a charter commitment. If your calendar is rigid, talk to us and your handler together; we can often start the exterior work on the apron at dawn, then move the aircraft into the hangar for the interior and the final polish.