Complete Detail at Graz (LOWG)

What happens during a Complete Detail at Graz?

We start with a walk-around and photographic documentation of the aircraft as it arrives, recording paint condition, brightwork oxidation and any visible wear. The exterior receives a rinseless wash, followed by clay-bar decontamination to lift bonded contaminants—industrial fallout, exhaust residue, tree sap—that washing alone cannot remove. Once the paint is clean at a molecular level, we apply a single-stage polish to restore gloss and prepare the surface for a durable hydrophobic sealant.

Brightwork—nacelle lips, leading edges, winglets, any exposed aluminium or stainless—is polished separately using graduated compounds and dedicated pads. Inside, we detail the cabin and flight deck to the Full Interior specification: vacuum and steam-clean all OEM materials, treat leather, clean glass and monument surfaces, scrub galley and lavatory to operating-room standard, then disinfect all touch surfaces with aviation-grade agents. The final step is a second round of photographs showing the aircraft as it leaves, paired in a report with the arrival images.

What changes at Graz?

Graz sits at 1,120 feet elevation, nine kilometres south of the city centre, with a single 3,000-metre runway and daily operating hours from 06:00 to 23:30 local. A night curfew runs from 23:30 until 06:00, though only quiet aircraft under ICAO Annex 16 Chapter 3 are permitted during restricted hours. LOWG is an IATA Level 2 airport, which means scheduled and charter flights must be facilitated, but general-aviation movements—code D and N—are explicitly exempt; your business jet does not need a slot.

Handling agents present at the airport include MAGNUM FBO Graz, which operates the general-aviation facility from 06:00 to 23:30 local. Because Graz is an airport of entry with customs on site, international arrivals clear directly on the apron without diversion. The late-evening window is long by regional standards: if a crew lands at 22:00, there is still an hour and a half of official operating time, enough to position the aircraft, arrange GPU and begin a detail the following morning.

Graz's continental climate brings warm summers and cold winters; paint collects pollen and organic dust in spring, road salt and de-icing residue in winter. Decontamination becomes especially important after a cold-soaked winter season, when Type I and IV fluid residues bond to leading edges and the belly. Hangar availability at a regional field means we can control temperature and humidity throughout the polish and interior phases, which matters for cure times and for working leather and veneer in stable conditions.

How long does a Complete Detail take, and can the aircraft stay in service?

Plan on two to five days, depending on aircraft size, paint condition and the scope of interior work. A super-midsize jet in good baseline condition typically takes two to three days; an ultra-long-range aircraft with heavy oxidation, neglected brightwork or a sixteen-seat cabin configuration will push toward the five-day mark. The aircraft is out of service for the duration—this is not a turnaround detail.

We usually work in the hangar, which gives us consistent temperature, freedom from weather and the controlled lighting needed to see defects in paint and to photograph results properly. If the hangar is occupied or you are coordinating maintenance at the same time, we can perform the exterior phases on a stand, provided no rain is forecast and temperatures stay within range for polish and sealant to cure. The interior, however, always happens under a roof.

Why do operators choose Complete Detail before a sale or pre-buy?

A pre-buy inspector will photograph every inch of the aircraft, and those images become part of the buyer's record and the broker's listing file. If the paint is oxidised, the brightwork is dull and the cabin shows six months of galley spills, the aircraft photographs poorly and the buyer's first impression is of deferred appearance maintenance. A Complete Detail resets that impression: the inspector sees an aircraft that has been looked after, and the photographic record reflects care rather than neglect.

The same logic applies in reverse when you are buying. If you complete the detail immediately after delivery, you have a known-good baseline—dated photographs, a record of exactly what was polished and sealed, and a cabin brought to a standard you can maintain going forward. The report becomes the first page of your new maintenance file, and every subsequent wash or detail is measured against it.

What is included in the photographic report?

We shoot the aircraft on arrival from eight cardinal angles plus close-ups of any areas flagged during the walk-around: paint chips, leading-edge wear, belly staining, nacelle oxidation. Inside, we photograph high-touch areas, galley and lavatory condition, and any wear or damage noted in the tech log. After the detail is finished, we shoot the same angles and the same close-ups under the same lighting, so the before-and-after pairs are directly comparable.

The report is delivered as a PDF, organised by exterior, brightwork, cabin and flight deck. Each image is captioned with the date, the phase of work and any remarks. If you are handing the aircraft to a broker or a buyer, the report is evidence of condition; if you are taking delivery, it is your baseline. Either way, it is documentation you can put in front of an auditor, an insurer or a prospective owner without explanation.

When should a Complete Detail be scheduled?

The service makes sense once or twice a year, timed around operational rhythm rather than calendar dates. Many flight departments schedule a spring detail after the winter de-icing season to remove fluid residue and road-salt contamination, then a second detail in late autumn before the aircraft enters a period of heavy charter or before it is photographed for marketing. If the aircraft is coming out of long-term storage or returning from a lease, a Complete Detail before the next revenue flight resets appearance to a known standard.

For aircraft entering or leaving the market, the detail should happen as close as possible to the pre-buy inspection or delivery date—ideally within two weeks. If you detail the aircraft in March and the pre-buy happens in May, the paint and cabin will have accumulated eight weeks of new wear, and the photographic record will no longer reflect current condition. Coordinate the detail, the inspection and the handover as a single sequence, and the documentation stays relevant.