Brightwork Polish at Girona-Costa Brava (LEGE)

What changes at Girona-Costa Brava?

Girona-Costa Brava sits 469 ft above sea level, twelve and a half kilometres south-west of Girona city centre, and operates H24 without curfew. The single runway—01/19, 2,400 metres—handles commercial traffic alongside business aviation, so stand availability and apron access depend on coordination with your handler. Six handling agents are licensed at LEGE, and three—Universal Aviation, ExecuJet and Sky Valet—provide FBO service around the clock with customs available H24. Centervol operates its own facility with a Part-145 hangar inside the perimeter.

For brightwork polish the handler arranges the stand, airside escort and GPU if the aircraft will be cold-soaked. A turnaround between morning arrival and evening departure leaves enough daylight in spring and summer for a single-stage polish on moderate oxidation; heavier work or a complete leading-edge restoration will need an overnight or a full day. The airport's resort profile means seasonal peaks in July and August, when stand requests should carry a PPR number and the handler should be told forty-eight hours ahead that a third-party detailing crew will be working airside.

How is brightwork polishing carried out on the ramp at LEGE?

The aircraft is positioned on stand with GPU connected if the work will run longer than two hours or if you want cabin air-conditioning during a hot afternoon. Leading edges, inlet rings, spinners, exhaust cones and thrust-reverser brightwork are inspected under direct sunlight to map oxidation, corrosion spots and previous compound residue. Heavy oxidation is cut with a coarse metal polish and a wool pad; moderate hazing is removed with a finer compound. Each surface is worked by hand in overlapping passes until the reflection is uniform and free of swirl marks.

Polished surfaces are wiped clean with isopropyl alcohol, then a hydrophobic sealant is applied to slow re-oxidation and make the next wash easier. Window surrounds and any decorative bright trim along the cheat line or nacelle receive the same treatment. The process generates fine metal dust, so adjacent painted surfaces and the windscreen are masked or wiped down immediately. All waste compound and used pads are bagged and removed from the apron; no residue is left on the stand.

Which surfaces are included in a brightwork polish?

Wing and horizontal-stabiliser leading edges are the largest bare-metal areas and the first to show oxidation after a winter of operations. Engine inlet rings and spinner cones take impact damage and exhaust staining, so they are polished to match the wings. Exhaust outlets and the visible surfaces inside thrust reversers are cleaned of carbon deposits and polished unless the OEM finish is painted or coated. Window surrounds—the metal frames on cockpit and cabin windows—are polished if they are bare aluminium or stainless steel; anodised or painted frames are wiped only.

Any decorative brightwork along the fuselage cheat line, door frames or nacelle strakes is included if the material is polishable metal. Static ports, pitot probes and antennas are avoided entirely. If corrosion has broken through the surface or if impact damage has deformed the leading edge, the tech log is noted and the area is documented in the photo report, but structural repair is outside the scope of a polish. The goal is to restore the mirror finish where the OEM or the paint shop intended bare metal to be visible.

How long does a brightwork polish take at Girona-Costa Brava, and can it fit a turnaround?

A light polish on an aircraft with only mild hazing—six months since the last treatment, no heavy oxidation—takes one long day for a two-person crew: wings, stabilisers, two nacelles, exhausts and window surrounds. Moderate oxidation adds a second day because each surface must be worked through two or three compound grades to bring back the mirror finish. Severe oxidation or an aircraft that has never been polished can stretch to three days, especially if the leading edges carry corrosion spots that need careful hand work to avoid removing too much material.

A same-day turnaround is possible only if the oxidation is very light and the handler can guarantee a morning stand with GPU. An overnight stop—arrival one afternoon, departure the next evening—gives a full working day and is the most common arrangement. For a complete restoration we recommend a two-night layover so the crew can finish without rushing and deliver a thorough photo report. The handler's operations team will coordinate stand times, and we confirm the schedule by email as soon as the slot is clear.

What does the handler need to know when brightwork polish is booked?

The handling agent at LEGE will ask for the aircraft type, registration, arrival and departure times, and the nature of the third-party work. Tell them 'exterior detailing—brightwork polish' and give them our company name and the crew leader's mobile number. They will arrange the stand, issue airside passes and provide an escort if the airport authority requires one. If the work will take more than two hours, request GPU on stand so the aircraft can remain powered without draining the batteries.

The handler does not supply water, power for polishing tools or consumables—we bring our own compressor, extension leads, compounds, pads and sealant. They do need to know if we will be working overnight or across a crew-rest period, because some FBOs lock the apron gates after midnight and the escort will need to return at the agreed start time. If the aircraft will be parked for more than twenty-four hours, confirm that the stand is reserved for the full period and that the handler has noted the detailing work in their operations log. Clear communication up front means no surprises when the crew arrives airside.

What documentation and photos are delivered after brightwork polishing?

Before the aircraft is released a photo report is compiled on site: before-and-after pairs for each leading edge, close-ups of the inlet rings and spinners, and overall shots of both nacelles and the tail. Any pre-existing corrosion, impact dents or paint edge-lift discovered during the polish is photographed and noted in the report so the flight department has a record for the next maintenance input. The report is sent by email as a PDF, usually within an hour of finishing, and the handler receives a copy if the chief pilot requests it.

No entry is made in the tech log unless a defect is found—polishing is appearance work, not maintenance—but if corrosion or damage is significant we will ask the captain or the handling agent to note it so the issue is tracked. The photo file is archived for two years in case the paint shop or an insurance assessor needs to review the condition of the brightwork at a known date. Every image is tagged with the registration, location and date, and the report includes a summary of which compounds and sealants were used.